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I 


1 


FOUNDED  NOVEMBER, 


ays  as  t  I  ^ 
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or  going  abroad,  will  be  accommodated 
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MOST  REMARKABLE  YEAR 


IM 


THE  LIFE 

or 

AUGUSTUS  VON  KOTZEBUE; 

CONTAINING  AN  ACCOUNT  OF 

HIS  EXILE  INTO  SIBERIA, 

.\ND  OF  THE  OTHER  EXTRAORDINARY  EVENTS 
WHICH  HAPPENED  TO  HIM  IN  RUSSIA. 


WRITTEN  BY  HIMSELF 


L> 


^  .        ,  TRANSLATED  YKijA  THE  GERMAN, 

TflE  REV.  BENJAMIN  BERESFOJiD, 

■       English  Lecturer  to  the  aueen  of  Prussia. 


PRINTED  FOR  H.  CAKITAT,  BOOKSELLER  iND  LIBRARIAN, 
NO.  1,  TONTINE  BUILDINGS,  FBOAD-lVAV, 
BY  G.  F.  J:0PKINS, 


DEDICATION. 


JTo  my  noble  and  generous  protectors,  his 
Excellency  M.  de  Kuscheleff,  Counsellor 
of  State,  and  Governor  of  Tobolsk  ;  his  Ex- 
cellency M.  DE  RicHTER,  Counsellor  of  State, 
and  Governor  of  Livonia  ^  to  my  noble  and 
generous  friends  in  the  hour  of  need,  M. 
DE  LowENSTERN,  formerly  Mademoiselle  de 
Bayer,  at  Wolmershoof;  M.  Eckardt,  Se- 
cretary to  the  Regency  of  Riga;  M.  Pro- 
vost KocH,  and  his  respectable  Lady,  at 
Jesse ;  M.  de  Knorring,  Provincial  of  the 
Chamber,  and  his  v^^orthy  Lady,  at  Charlot- 
tenthal;  M.  Secretary  Huek,  at  Revel  5 
and  M.  Charles  George  Graumann,  at 
Petersburg* 

Nor  brass  nor  marble  bears  your  honour'c?  names : 
My  glowing  heart  ^he  fair  inscription  claims. 
Deep'gravM  it  lies,  to  grateful  memory  true. 
Forever  legible,  forever  new  ! 


iv 

Your  generous  succour  pierc'd  Siberia's  gloom. 
And  snatcIiM  the  exile  from  the  darksome  tomb ; 
Restored  the  charm  that  sooths  and  sweetens  life^j 
The  smiling  oljipring,  and  the  gladden'd  wife. 
A  theme  like  this  demands  no  lofty  lay ; 
Let  simple  truth  the  noble  deed  display ! 
And  tho'  whate'er  I  write  may  ill  withstand 
The  ruthless  stroke  of  Time's  destructive  hand — 
The  grateful  Muse  shall  from  Oblivion  steal 
The  volive  line  that  speaks  how  much  I  feel  I 


THE 

MOST  REMARKABLE.  YEAR 

OF 

MY  LIFE.^ 


CHAPTER  I. 


Three  years  had  nearly  elapsed  since  my  wife  and 
myself  quitted  Russia.  The  flattering  reception  we  met 
with  there  strengthened  the  endearing  ties  which  held  us 
to  the  North:  there  we  had  children,  relations,  and 
friends;  it  was  also  the  native  country  of  my  wife.  I 
had  promised  her,  that  in  the  course  of  three  years  I 
would  conduct  her  there  again  ;  and  I  was  proud  to  keep 
my  word.  The  journey,  it  is  true,  tore  me  away  from 
a  mother  justly  beloved,  from  a  circle  of  worthy  friends, 
and  a  little  possession  at  Weimar  :  but  the  separation  was 
only  to  be  tor  four  months;  it  was  merely  a  visit  neces* 
sary  to  the  health  and  happiness  cf  my  wife,  who  pas- 
sionately desired  to  see  her  native  home  once  more. 

The  free  ingress  into  the  Russian  territories  being  in- 
terrupted, it  was  indispensably  nece>^sary  to  provide  my- 
self with  a  passport  from  the  Emperor.  Of  this  I  was 
aware,  and  applied  to  Baron  de  Krudener,  privy  coun» 
seilor  to  his  Imperial  Majesty,  and  his  minister  at  the 
Court  of  Berlin.  The  Baron,  in  answer  to  my  letter, 
informed  me  that  he  would  instantly  lay  my  request  be* 
fore  his  Court,  but  that  I  should  do'  well  to  make  direct 
application  at  the  same  time  myself.    In  consequence  of 

.  T  wrote  to  tlie  Emperor,  explained  the  object  of  my 
,  stated  that  my  property  in  Russia  required  mV 
e  there,  and  entreated  his  Majesty  to  grzmt  mc  - 

mission  to  reside  four  months  in  his  dominions.  My 


10 


letter  had  scarcely  been  sent  when  I  received  another 
from  Baron  de  Kriidener,  which,  for  several  reasons,  I 
think  it  necessary  to  insert  here. 

"  It  gives  me  great  satisfaction.  Sir,  to  inform  you  of 
*'  his  Majesty's  favourable  answer  relative  to  your  pass- 
*'  port.  I  am  directed  to  make  out  the  same,  and  to  in- 
"  sert  therein  the  exact  route  you  intend  to  take,  in  order 
"  to  remove  all  obstacles  to  which,  without  such  precau- 
*'  tion,  you  might  be  liable.  You  will  therefore.  Sir,  have 
"  the  goodness  to  inform  me  immediately  of  the  above 
"  particulars,  and  the  number  of  persons  who  are  to  ac- 
"  company  you,  and  likewise  to  let  me  know  whither  I 

am  to  send  the  passport,  in  case  you  do  not  take  Berlin 
"  in  your  way.    1  am,  &c.  &c." 

This  letter  afforded  great  pleasure  to  my  wife,  while, 
on  tlie  contrary,  it  created  suspicion  in  me.  I  had  left 
Russia  with  the  Emperor's  consent,  and  before  the  pub- 
lication of  the  order,  which  required  all  persons  leaving 
the  country  to  engage  never  to  return :  but  I  knew  that 
Paul  was  no  friend  to  authors,  and  it  was  difficult  to  re- 
concile this  well-known  antipathy  with  an  answer  so 
prompt,  and  apparently  so  full  of  kindness.  I  could  not 
conceive  what  obstacles  I  had  to  encounter  when  provid- 
ed with  a  regular  passport;  and  if  such  obstacles  were 
common  to  all  travellers,  it  was  singular  that  an  excep- 
tion should  be  made  in  my  behalf.  What  right  had  I  to 
such  distinction  ?  Nor  could  I  at  all  conceive  what  in- 
terest the  Emperor  could  feel  in  being  so  well  informed 
of  my  route. 

1  imparted  all  my  doubts  to  rny  wife,  but  she  only 
laughed  at  them.  Having  accepted  an  Invitation  from  a 
lady  distinguished  both  by  her  rank  and  virtues,  at  whose 
hou>e  much  company  usually  resorted,  we  spoke  of  the 
conte^its  of  this  letter  agreeably  to  the  different  manner 
in  which  they  had  affected  us,  and  every  one  present  not 
only  discountenanced  my  apprehensions,  but  pronounced 
them  to  be  unreasonable  and  ill  founded.  To  believe  th« 
•Emperor  capable  of  laying  a  snare  for  ipe,  was  consider- 
ed by  them  as  an  offence  against  the  sacred  faith  of  so- . 
vereigns. 


11 


I  became  more  easy  ;  and  if  any  thing  still  continued 
to  create  anxiety,  it  was  tlie  circumstance  of  the  term 
of  four  months  being  omitted  in  the  body  of  the  pass- 
port which  I  afterwards  received.  This  omission  was 
distressing,  as  it  might  tend  to  prevent  my  return,  and  I 
therefore  had  recQiirse  to  the  following  expedient.  I  had 
the  honour  to  be  dramatic  writer  to  the  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many, and  in  that  quality  I  procured  a  written  leave  of 
absence  from  the  Court  ot  Vienna  for  the  above  mention- 
ed  space  of  time,  and  I  reserved  this  instrument  to  show 
to  the  Austrian  minister  at  St.  Petersburg,  in  case  my 
return  should  be  at  all  impeded. 

Haying  thus  provided  for  my  departure,  my  wife  and 
myself,  accompanied  by  three  young  children,  left  Wei- 
mar on  the  10th  of  April,  1800.  We  arrived  at  Berlin, 
where  I  found  several  letters  which  my  friends  in  Livo- 
nia and  Petersburg  had  written  to  me  at  the  same  time. 
They  appeared  to  have  acted  in  concert  in  advising  me 
to  consider  how  far  I  was  able  to  encounter  the  severe 
cold  of  a  northern  climate.  This  concealed  manner 
of  warning  me  had  not  the  effect  they  had  reason  to  ex- 
pect; I  did  not  follow  their  advice,  but  considered  their 
apprehensions  as  exaggerated  or  chimerical. 

1  waited  on  Baron  de  Krudener.  I  was  already 
known  to  that  estimable  man,  who  is  a  friend  to  letters 
and  humanity.  He  received  me  with  his  accustomed 
kindness;  and  I  requested  him,  on  taking  my  leave, 
to  consider  me  as  the  father  of  a  numerous  family,  and 
tell  me  in  the  sincerity  of  his  heart,  if  he  thought  my 
return  would  be  attended  with  any  difficulties.  My 
suspicions  were  confined  entirely  to  that  particular,  and 
I  must  confess  that  M.  de  Krudener  replied  like  a  man 
who  knew  how  to  unite  the  rigorous  obligations  of  du- 
ty with  those  of  humanity.  In  your  place,"  said  he, 
'*  1  would  write  once  more ;  you  ma)^,  however,  pro- 
ceed on  your  journey,  but  wait  at  Konigsberg  till  your 
doubts  are  entirely  removed." 

The  advice  was  good,  and  I  was  inclined  to  follow 
:  but  my  wife,  v/hom  1  consulted  on  the  occasion, 
and  who  had  solely  her  children  and  her  country  before 
her  eyes,  did  not  value  it  as  it  deserved.    We  both  in- 


t 

12 


deed  treated  the  matter  too  lightly,  and  being  furnish* 
ed  with  a  passport  in  the  name  and  by  the  order  of  the 
Emperor  of  all  the  Russias,  we  ventured  to  proceed.  * 

Every  one  who  has  travelled  through  the  Prussian 
dominions,  knows  that  the  post-horses  tliere  are  very 
sluggish.*  I  frequently  got  out  of  my  carriage  and 
v/alked,  and  without  any  exertion  was  often  a  German 
mile  before  it.  In  this  manner  I  one  day  arrived  at  a 
little  town  in  Pomerania,  which  I  think  is  called  Za- 
nert ;  I  walked  through  it,  and  when  I  came  to  its  ex- 
tremity found  several  roads  without  knowing  which  to 
lake.  An  old  man  who  was  near  set  me  right;  he 
was  a  tall  thin  figure,  and  probably  belonged  to  the  gate. 
He  asked  me  whither  I  was  going;  and  when  I  told 
him  I  was  on  my  way  to  Russia,  his  voice  altered.  He 
advised  me  not  U)  think  of  going  thither,  made  use  of 
the  strongest  reasons  in  support  of  his  advice,  and  be- 
trayed a  solicitude  so  tender  and  paternal,  that  he  seem- 
ed like  an  angel  sent  to  counsel  me.  At  last,  finding 
that  his  advice  was  .unavailing,  he  concluded  with  this 
short  exclamation:  "God  help  the  man  who  goes  into 
Russia'''  I  laughed  exceedingly  and  continued  my 
way ;  but  how  often  have  these  emphatic  words  since 
struck  me !  how  often  have  I  been  tempted  to  think, 
that  this  man  was  a  prophet  who  had  foretold  my  destiny. 

These  repeated  admonitions  had,  in  spite  of  my  rea- 
son, made  some  impression  on  me,  and  I  felt  it  still  in- 
crease as  I  approached  the  confines  of  Russia.  Such  was 
the  effect  they  had  on  me,  that  frequently  on  the  road, 
and  particularly  at  -Memel,  I  seriously  proposed  to  my 
wife  that  she  should  continue  the  journey  by  herself, 
and  I  would  return  to  that  city  arid  wait  for  her ;  but 
my  fate  was  decreed^ — she  could  not  resolve  upon  this 
measure. 

When  we  left  Memel  I  tpok  the  precaution  to  leave 
my  books  there  in  order  to  avoid  disputes  with  M.  Tum- 

*  Some  new  regulations  have  takcn*place  to  the  advantage 
the  traveller.    Of  this  I  am  unable  to  speak  from  my  own 
perience,  having  now  left  oft'  travelling  post  in  Prussia  aJid  Po 
merania. 


15 


my  power  to  console  her,  and  she  recovered ;  then  attend- 
ing *o  what  related  to  myself,  I  turned  instantly  towards 
Sellin :  "  Tell  me,"  said  I,  what  your  orders  imply, 
and  above  all,  keep  nothing  firom  me/'  "  1  am  com- 
r  landed  to  seize  your  papers,  and  to  send  them,  together 
with  yourself,  to  the  Governor  of  Mittau."  "  What 
wiii  happen  to  me  there?"  "  Your  papers  will  be  ex- 
amined, and  the  Governor  will  receive  further  instruc- 
tions upon  the  business."  "  Nothing  more  ?"  "  No- 
thing." ''And  my  family  may  accompany  me."  Cer- 
tainly." "  Well,  then,"  said  I  to  my  dear  and  excellent 
wife,  "  we  may  make  ourselves  perfectly  easy ;  we  are 
going  to  Mittau,  such  was  our  original  intention.  We 
shall  have  to  stay  there  a  day  perhaps,  and  that  will  be 
all.  My  papers  are  in  order,  and  can  be  liable  to  no 
suspicion ;  this  arrest  is  nothing  more  than  mere  precau- 
tion, a  measure  of  prudence  which  may  be  overlooked 
in  a  monarch  during  the  revolutions  which  at  this  time 
convulse  the  world.  The  emperor  does  not  know  me, 
he  knows  only  that  I  am  an  author ;  many  writers  have 
been  led  astray  by  the  system  of  liberty  which  now  agi- 
tates Europe ;  his  Majesty  suspects  me  to  be  one  of  tha,t 
number,  and  in  truth  1  would  rather  he  should  frankly 
declare  his  suspicions  than  keep  them  to  himself.  He 
will  now  learn  what  sort  of  a  person  I  am,  and  his  know- 
ledge of  me  will  turn  to  my  advantage;  I  shall  perhaps 
gain  his  confidence." 

In  this  manner  I  expressed  myself  as  I  pressed  my  still 
trembling  wife  to  my  heart.  Heaven  knowsthat  I  spoke 
what  I  felt;  lor,  convinced  as  I  was  of  my  guiltlessness, 
what  had  I  to  dread? — My  wife  ?oon  came  to  herself. 
She  had  imagined  we  were  instandy  to  be  separated, 
that  I  should  be  ill-treated,  thrown  into  a  common  cart; 
but  when  she  saw  that  no  violence  was  used,  and  that 
we  were  to  continue  our  journey  together,  she  ceased  to 
be  so  much  alarmed. 

My  baggage  had  been  searched,  my  port-folio  and 
other  papers  seized;  nothing  now  remained  unexamined 
Lut  my  person.  I  was  obliged  to  (urn  my  pockets  in  ide 
out,  and  to  lay  upon  the  table  every  scrap  of  paper,  and 


16 

every  bill  of  travelling-expenses  I  had  about  me.  I  was 
provoked  at  this,  and  could  not  disguise  my  feelings.  It 
is  my  duty,  said  Sellin,  in  a  low  and  half  chocked  voice ; 
I  was  not  angry  with  him,  for  it  was  evident  that  he 
was  acting  an  involuntary  and  painful  part. 

He  now  requested  us  to  take  out  of  our  trunks  what- 
ever things  we  might  want  on  the  road  from  Polangen  to 
JVIittau,  tor  his  orders  obliged  him  to  seal  up  our  bag- 
gage. I  had  a  small  box,  containing  such  things  as  were 
of  daily  use,  as  tobacco,  razors,  medicines,  &c.  Hav- 
ing begged  that  this  box  migl^t  go  unsealed,  he  had  the 
goodness  to  indulge  me  in  my  wish,  but  was  desirous  to 
examine  it  more  closely.  As  the  bottom  was  thick,  he 
asked  me  if  the  box  contained  a  vacant  space  lor  the 
purpoNC  of  concealing  papers.  "  No,"  I  replied.  I  had 
bought  it  at  Vienna,  and  had  neverexamined  its  coii^truc- 
lion ;  but  here  it  seems  people  understand  better  the  art 
of  discovering  secrets.  Sellin  touched  a  spring  which 
discovered  a  second  bottom,  and  that  bottom  was  found 
empty.  "  You  see,"  said  I  with  a  smile,  "  the  little 
use  which  I  had  for  a  false  bottom;  I  possessed  the  box 
without  being  aware  of  this  contrivance-"  He  was  him- 
self so  well  convinced  of  this,  shat  he  told  the  officer,  in 
the  Russian  language,  that  he  was  satisfied  of  my  igno- 
rance of  it. 

The  inquisition  was  now  over,  but  we  had  to  wait  for 
a  long  attestation,  which  was  drawing  up  at  the  chance- 
ry. Our  children  had  nothing  to  eat ;  for  so  eagerly  had 
we  driven  on  to  our  ruin,  that,  although  a  dinner  wa? 
ready  at  the  last  post-house,  we  had  retlised  to  partake 
of  it.  I  asked  for  some  fefr^shment  for  them;  as  for 
ourselves,  it  will  be  easily  supposed  we  did  not  stand  in 
need  of  any.  Sellin  immediately  ordered  such  provi- 
sions as  were  at  hand  to  be  set  before  them. 

But  notwithstanding  the  politeness  of  Sellin  on  the  oc- 
casions already  mentioned,  he  refused  to  grant  me  a  re- 
quest which  I  conceived  to  be  a  very  reasonable  one.  I 
had  left  mv  aged  mother  in  a  bad  state  of  health,  and  had 
reason  to  fear  that,  on  her  hearing  what  had  happened  to 
me,  her  apprehensions  would  prove  fatal.    I  begged 


17 


leave  to  write  a  few  lines  to  her,  which  Sellin  liimself 
might  have  read  and  sealed  up.  He  w^as,  however, 
deaf  to  all  my  entreaties ;  but  I  am  sure  that  this  refusal, 
which  occasioned  me  so  much  affliction,  was  equally  pain- 
ful to  this  humane  man,  who  made  it  in  spite  of  his  own 
feelings. 

He  afforded  me  indeed  some  consolation, by  assuring  me 
that  I  might  write  from  Mittau.  I  then  turned  to  Wey- 
rauch,  who  had  been  present  during  the  whole  scene,  and 
grasping  his  hand,  entreated  him  not  to  mention  a  word 
at  Memel  of  what  had  happened,  lest  some  newspaper- 
writer  should  make  it  public.  This  he  promised  me  in 
the  most  solemn  manner. 

But  what  shows  clearly  that  the  worthy  Sellin  was  not 
master  of  himself  in  the  execution  of  this  painful  duty, 
was,  that  Weyrauch,  whom  he  had  not  noticed,  had  been 
allowed  to  be  present.  I  was  a  prisoner  of  state,  the 
order  for  my  arrest  was  to  be  kept  a  profound  secret ; 
such  instructions  were  inserted  on  the  back  of  it,  pro 
secreto.  In  this  case,  the  officer  who  receives  it  is  oblige 
ed  under  the  highest  responsibility,  to  impart  the  con- 
tcijts  to  no  one ;  and  much  less  is  he  allowed  to  execute 
the  warrant  in  the  presence  of  witnesses.  I  am  perfect- 
ly convinced,  that  the  great  embarrassment  he  was  un- 
der was  the  sole  cause  of  the  inadvertency  of  which  he 
had  been  guilty. 

My  business  was  now  finished,  my  trunks  sealed  up, 
and  the  horses  put  to.  The  cradle  of  my  youngest  child, 
which  had  been  fixed  behind  the  carriage,  now  gave 
place  to  one  of  the  servants,  whose  seat  forward  was  to 
be  occupied  by  a  Cossack  who  escorted  us.  My  port- 
folio was  likewise  sealed,  and  replaced  in  the  pocket  of 
the  coach,  and  the  keys  were  returned  to  me.  I  refused, 
however,  to  take  them,  reflecting  that  the  string  of  the 
seals  ;  light  break,  and  create  new  grounds  for  suspicion. 
I  therefore  insisted  on  their  being  also  sealed  up. 

Sellin,  having  executed  his  painful  task,  resumed  his 
accustomed  manner  of  behaviour,  and  urged  every  thing 
he  could  that  might  tend  to  console  us.  In  all  probability 
I  shall  never  see  him  again,  but  should  the  narrative  of  suy 


18 


sorrowful  adventures,  which  I  am  now  writhig,  be  one 
(lay  published,  let  him  read  therein  the  gratitude  of  a  heart 
deeply  affected  with  a  sense  of  his  kindness,  and  which 
will  ever  continue  to  cherish  his  name  and  his  image. 

We  got  into  our  carriage,  and  henceforth  had  the  ex- 
hibition of  a  Cossack,  armed  with  his  sabre  and  pistols, 
seated  directly  before  us.  My  children  were  much 
amused  at  this,  but  my  wife  shed  tears,  and  as  for  my- 
self, I  continued  to  preserve  my  usual  composure  of 
mind.  I  even  tried  to  calm  her.,  by  aifecting  a  gaiety 
of  disposition.  The  sight  of  the  Cossack,  had  it  not 
been  for  his  arms,  had  nothing  formidable  in  it.  He  v/as 
a  tall  well-built  man,  very  civil  and  very  officious ;  every 
time  we  got  out  of  the  carriage  he  politely  took  off  his 
cap. 

Seated  in  a  kibick  *  behind  was  a  captain,  a  Pole  by 
birth,  whose  name  I  do  not  recollect.  He  spoke  a  little 
German,  had  been,  during  the  revolution,  aid-de-camp 
to  General  Mirbach,  and  since  that  time  in  close  confine- 
ment at  Mittau  for  a  whole  year.  He  had,  I  know  not 
what,  employment  in  the  custom-house,  and  he  appear- 
ed to  be  as  ill  calculated  for  this  disagreeable  commis- 
sion as  the  worthy  Sellin  himself.  We  were  during  the 
journey  upon  a  very  civil  footing  together.  He  was  not 
•  of  the  least  inconvenience  to  me,  and  I  should  have  en- 
tirely forgotten  that  he  was  present,  had  not  my  purse 
obliged  me,  in  this  expensive  part  of  Courland,  to  re- 
collect him ;  the  expense  of  post-horses  and  provisions 
being  entirely  at  my  charge. 

The  distance  from  Polangen  to  Mittau  is  computed  at 
thirty-six  German  miles.  We  were  three  days  upon 
the  road,  and  all  the  time  kept  up  our  spirits  tolerably 
well. 

My  wife,  indeed,  seemed  to  be  quite  recovered :  we 
had  nothing  further  to  apprehend  than  a  delay  at  Mit- 
tau, which  would  however  prove  disagreeable,  on  ac- 
count of  the  high  price  of  provisions  there,  and  because 
we  had  already  informed  our  friends  in  Livonia  of  the 


*  A  Russisin  cart. 


19 


day  we  expected  to  arrive.  In  fact,  what  had  we  to 
fear?  I  had  already  been  in  the  service  of  Russia,  and 
was  provided  with  a  testimonial  that  I  had  acquitted 
myself  with  probity  and  honour.  I  had  been  for  three 
years,  with  the  Emperor^s  leave,  in  the  seruice  of  Aus- 
tria :  and  as  dramatic  writer  to  that  court  nad  fulfilled 
every  duty  incumbent  on  a  good  subject.  On  leaving 
Vienna,  I  had  retiirned  to  the  duchy  of  Weimar,  with- 
out passing  through  any  country  at  war  either  with  Aus- 
tria or  Russia;  what  then  could  1  have  to  dread?  It 
seemed  highly  probable  that  all  suspicion  was  confined- 
to  my  papers;  and  what  did  these  harmless  papers  con- 
tain ?  This  the  reader  will  now  see,  and  he  may  from 
thence  judge  how  little  cause  I  had  to  be  alarmed. 

The  papers  contained  the  following  articles : 

A  certificate  of  the  government  of  Revel,  of  my  ser- 
vices during  fifteen  years. 

The  copy  of  an  ukas  of  the  senate,  which  granted  my 
resignation  with  advancement. 

The  order  of  the  court  of  Vienna  relative  to  my  re- 
signation as  manager  of  the  theatre,  and  the  continu- 
ance of  my  office  as  dramatic  writer  to  the  court,  with  a 
salary  of  one  thousand  florins  a-year. 

A  certificate  from  the  theatre. 

A  letter  written  by  Count  Colloredo,  minister  to  the 
Emperor  of  Germany,  on  the  subject  of  an  omission  in 
the  above  mentioned  order,  in  which  no  special cMibri 
had  been  inserted  relative  to  the  continuance  o]^i|r  sa- 
lary for  life.  On  that  article  I  had  inquired  w^her, 
in  case  I  should  live  to  grow  old  and  become  yfilbJe  to 
write  for  the  theatre,  I  should  receive  a  pensiofi;  and 
the  answer  was  to  my  satisfaction. 

A  note  from  count  Saurau,the  Emperor  of  Germany's 
superintendant  of  the  secret  police,  with  another  from 
M.  de  Schilling,  aulic  counsellor  and  member  of  the 
college.  When  I  quitted  Vienna,  not  satisfied  with  the 
honourable  testimony  1  had  obtained  relative  to  the  ad- 
ministration of  my  office,  I  conceived  it  would  be  pru- 
dent, in  the  present  circumstances,  to  obtain  an  instru-  ^ 
ment  certifying  further,  that  during  my  residence  in 


20 


that  capital  I  had  conducted  myself  as  became  a  good 
citizen,  and  that  I  had  never  given  any  cause  for  suspi- 
cion relative  to  my  political  opinions.  Witli  this  vievy 
I  had  made  application  to  Count  de  Saurau,  intimating 
that  although  such  a  precaution  might  appear  to  be  ex- 
traordinary, yet  it  was  no  less  true  that  we  lived  in  an 
extraordinary  age.  He  had  the  goodness  to  make  me 
easy  on  that  head,  by  furnishing  me  with  the  note  and 
letter  in  question,  and  he  closed  the  interview  by  as- 
suring me,  that  should  the  lea-t  doubt  arise  relative  to 
ray  way  of  thinking,  justice  should  certainly  be  done  me. 

A  leave  of  absence  from  the  theatre  of  Vienna,  limit- 
ed to  the  term  of  four  montlis,  for  my  journey  to  Rus- 
sia, with  a  clau<?e  requiring  my  return  to  Germany  in 
the  month  of  Oci»)ber,  stating  that  the  business  in  which 
I  had  embarked  would  fiot  admit  of  my  remaining  any 
longer  at  so  great  a  distance. 

M.  deKrudener's  letter,  which  has  been  already  men- 
tioned. 

A  sealed  letter,  from  the  reigning  Duchess  of  Wei- 
mar to  the  grand  Duchess  Elizabeth. 

A  letter  and  a  book  from  M.  Bertuch,  counsellor  of 
legation  at  Weimar  for  M.  Storch,  aulic  counsellor  at 
Petersburg. 

A  letter  and  a  book  frcfm  M.  Bottiger,  counsellor  of 
the  upper  Consistory  at  Weimar  for—*  J  forgot  the  dU 
red  ion. 

bonds  for  10,000  roubles. 

A^aft  of  thirty-two  ducats  for  some  manuscripts, 
payayte  «t  Dantzig  in  August. 

Foiii*  short  copies  of  verses  in  honour  of  my  wife's 
birth-day,  which  happened  the  day  after  my  arrest.  Af- 
ter having  passed  over  the  sandy  plains  ot  Prussia  for 
several  days  together  along  the  banks  of  the  Curisch 
Haff,  and  having  been  obliged  to  wait  a  whole  day  for 
horses  at  Neiden,  1  ^tole  away  from  my  family  at  the 
latter  place  to  a  sandy  hilteck,  where,  seated  under  a 
pine-tree,  I  wrote  some  lines  for  my  children  and  my- 

•  For  Mr.  Kohlor,  auUc  counsellor  at  Petersburg. 


21 


self,  wliich  we  were  to  present  to  their  mother,  on  the 
subject  of  that  happy  day,  which  however  did  not  prove 
so  happy  as  we  had  reason  to  expect.  The  stanza  made 
for  myself  shows,  that  1  already  entertained  a  gloomy 
presentiment  of  the  destiny  that  awaited  me. 

"  Would  heav'n,  propitious  to  my  pray'r, 

"  In  thy  dear  converse  let  me  share 

"  That  best  of  bliss,  domestic  peace, 

<•  Till  life  and  all  its  wishes  cease, — 

•«  I'd  fondly  call  thy  distant  home 

*«  My  future  prison  and  my  tomb!" 

From  these  lines  it  is  likewise  evident,  that  my  most 
painful  apprehension  was  already  that  of  not  being  able 
to  leave  Livonia,  which,  on  account  of  the  interruption 
of  literary  intercourse,  might  have  turned  out  greatly  to 
my  prejudice. 

A  Swiss  song,  copied  in  pencil  with  my  own  hand ; 
a  kind  of  rondeau  on  the  tree  of  liberty  which  had  been 
cut  down.  I  need  only  cite  the  last  lines,  in  which, 
like  the  foregoing,  the  tree  itself  is  addressed. 

**  And  may  at  last  thy  u?eful  timber  be 
**  A  gibbet  for  the  whole  directory  !"  * 

Remarks  on  the  extraordinary  posts  of  Prussia. 
A  collection  of  receipts  obtained  from  a  chemist  at 
Konigsberg. 

Several  loose  sheets  containing  plans  of  dramatic  com- 
positions, sketches  of  poems,  and  such  things,  but  no- 
thing that  related  in  any  respect  to  politics. 

A  couple  of  sheets  of  letter  press,  being  part  of  an  al- 
manack with  which  M.  Rhode  of  Berlin  charged  me  for 
M.  Gerber,  the  secretary,  at  Revel;  a  matter  of  no 
consequence  whatever. 

The  beginning  of  an  Opera.  " 

A  journal  of  the  state  of  my  health  for  some  years  past. 

The  Gotha  almanack  for  every  country,  in  which  I, 
had  written  some  remarks  on  my  travels. 

•  The  good  natured  reader  will  spare  the  transliator  the  task 
ff  versifying  the  rest  of  this  trash,  which  is  hoAvever  inserted 
at  full  length  in  a  note  in  the  original  manuscript. 


A  seal  cut  in  stone,  inclosed  in  a  letter,  from  one  of 
my  friends,  wlio  had  given  it  me  for  the  purpose  of  hav- 
ing it  engraved.  The  seal  was  nothing  more  than  a 
coat  of  arms  which  had  been  lately  sent  from  the  herald's 
office  of  Petersburg,  consequently  not  at  all  liable  to  sus- 
picion. 

A  Weimar  almanack  interleaved.  I  had  imitated  the 
idea  of  Franklin's,  which,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  had 
been  published  in  the  Berlin  journal.  This  great  man 
had  scrupulously  examined,  and  made  a  kind  of  table  of 
all  his  failings,  with  a  firm  resolution  by  degrees  to 
amend  them.  Devoting  every  evening  to  this  plan  of 
self-examination,  he  became  wiser  and  better,  till  at 
length  he  acquired  an  entire  control  over  his  passions. 
At  whatever  distance  I  remained  from  my  model,  I  had 
at  least  endeavoured  to  execute  his  wise  and  good  in- 
tentions, and  I  can  declare  with  truth,  that  the  expe- 
dient was  attended  with  considerable  success.  I  can 
even  recommend  this  method  from  my  own  experience 
to  every  man  who  has  his  moral  improvement  at  heart. 
He  will  insensibly  feel  a  kind  of  terror  on  examining  his 
almanack ;  he  will  dread  to  find  the  leaves  too  full  of 
self-reproaches,  and  often,  very  often,  will  check  the 
pasnon  ready  to  obtain  the  mastery  over  him,  on  the 
recollect'on  that  at  night  it  will  be  necessary  to  put  down 
the  p:irticulars  faithfu'ily  on  tlie  paper. 

All  my  dramatic  pieces,  not  yet  published;  Octavia, 
Bayard,  Jane  of  Montfaucon,  Gustavus  Vasa,  The  Pru- 
dent Woman  in  the  Forest,  The  Devire  to  Shine,  The 
Preceptors  (a  tran-lation  of  my  wife's)  The  Abb^  de 
TEp^e,  The  Reward  of  Virtue,  The  two  Klingsberg>, 
The  Piisoner,  The  New  Century,  The  Devil's  Villa. 
Not  a  scene  in  any  of  th '-e  pieces  could  render  me  lia- 
ble to  the  smallest  su  pic'oa  on  the  score  of  politics  or 
morality.  I  brought  them  w  ta  me  to  se]l  them  to  the 
theatre  at  Riga,  as  1  had  done  on  former  occasions;: 
some  of  them  had  been  translated  at  Weimar  by  the 
Chevalier  du  Veau,  and  I  ii  tendedto  have  offered  tba'^e 
versions  to  the  manager  of  tlie  French  play-house  at  Pe- 
tersburg. 


27 


that  tlie  interest  she  took  in  my  situation,  did  not  contri- 
bute to  allay  my  apprehensions.    The  Governor  soon 
returned.        Tmngs  are  no  longer  in  Russia  as  they 
v'd  to  he,"  said  he;  "justice  is  now  administered  in 
..v;  most  scrupulous  manner." 
"  I  have  great  reason  then  to  be  easy," replied  I.  He 
expressed  much  surprise  that  I  had  voluntarily  returned, 
and  above  all,  that  I  had  brought  my  family  with  me. 
Indeed  a  man  who  travels  with  bad  designs,  does  not 
take  with  him  his  wife,  three  children,  an  elderly  gover- 
ness, and  two  servants :  I,  therefore,  who  did  so,  must 
have  been  conscious  of  my  own  innocence,  and  easy  in 
the  confidence  I  reposed  in  the  safe  conduct  granted  by 
his  Majesty. 

A  person  in  the  uniform  of  the  civil  administration  of 
Petersburg  was  now  introduced.        Here,"  said  the 
Governor,  "  is  the  Aulic  Counsellor  Schstschekatichin, 
who  will  accompany  you  on  your  journey;  make  your- 
self perfectly  easy.  Sir,  you  are  in  good  hands." 
Does  he  understand  German  or  French  ?" 
Neither  the  one  nor  the  other." 
"  I  am  sorry  for  that,"  said  I,  "  for  I  have  forgotten 
my  Russian." 

The  Governor  then  presented  me  to  him,  and  I  ex- 
plained myself  in  his  native  tongue  as  well  as  I  was  able, 
making  use  of  gesticulation  when  at  a  loss  for  words.  I 
took  M.  Schstschekatichin  by  the  hand,  and  pressing  it 
closely,  craved  his  benevolence,  which  was  answered 
by  a  friendly  grimace. 

Before  I  proceed,  it  will  be  necessary  to  sketch  the 
portrait  of  this  man.  Aulic  Counsellor  Schstschekati- 
chin (may  I  be  allowed  to  write  tliis  barbarous  name 
here  for  the  last  time,  and  to  call  him  henceforth  merely 
by  his  title  ?)  the  Counsellor,  I  say,  was  a  very  swarthy 
man,  almost  black,  about  forty  years  of  age,  having  ve- 
ry much  the  look  of  a  satyr.  Whenever  he  would  assume 
an  affable  mien,  two  oblique  wrinkles  divided  his  face  to 
the  very  corner  of  his  eyes,  and  imparted  to  his  whole 
countenance  the  expression  of  disdain.  From  the  stiff- 
ness of  his  carriage,  it  v/as  evident  that  he  had  been  in 
tlie  army,  and  fiom  certain  deficiencies  of  common  de- 


28 

corum,  that  he  was  an  uneducated  man,  and  had  never 
frequented  good  company.  For  instance,  he  rarely  made 
use  of  a  pocket  handkerchief;  he  drank  out  of  the  bot- 
tle, though  a  glass  stood  before  him,  and  committed  ma- 
ny other  acts  of  similar  indecency.  To  the  grossest  ig- 
norance he  joined  every  outward  sign  of  excessive  devo- 
tion. He  had  not  the  least  idea  of  the  causes  of  the 
common  phenomena  of  nature  ;  and  such  a  stranger  was 
he  to  literature,  that  the  names  of  Homer,  Cicero, 
Voltaire,  Shakspeare,  or  Kant,  had"  never  reached  his 
ear.  He  had  no  desire  to  learn  any  thing;  but  by  way 
of  amends  he  could  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  upon  his 
ibrehead  and  breast  with  uncommon  dexterity.  Every 
time  he  awoke,  every  time  he  espied  a  church  at  a  dis- 
tance, the  point  of  a  steeple,  or  the  image  of  a  saint ; 
every  lime  he  ate  or  drank  (which  was  very  often)  every 
time  it  thundered  or  when  we  passed  by  a  church-yard, 
my  Counsellor  took  off  his  hat  and  crossed  hiinself  in  eve- 
ry direction.  He  did  not,  however,  treat  all  churches 
alike ;  if  they  were  constructed  of  wood,  he  paid  them 
but  little  attention  ;  but  if  they  were  built  of  stone,  his 
respect  considerably  increased,  and  it  became  much 
more  profound  at  the  sight  of  a  town  with  large  domes 
and  lolly  steeples.  This  was,  perhaps,  to  express  his 
thanks  to  God  that  he  had  been  enabled  to  bring  his  vic- 
tim so  far  on  his  way.  1  do  not,  however,  recollect 
that  I  ever  saw  him  pray,  either  with  his  lips  or  eyes, 
but  .of  signs  of  the  cross,  he  was  extremely  lavish. 
Though  he  had  very  little  reason  for  it,  yet  he  enter- 
tained a  very  high  opinion  of  himself.  He  would  never 
listen  to  any  kind  of  explanation,  nor  admit  any  sort  of 
reasoning,  let  the  subject  of  conversation  be  ever  so  im- 
portant. He  always  persisted  in  his  own  opinion,  or- 
namenting his  countenance  at  the  same  time  with  the 
two  deep  wrinkles  already  mentioned.  If  a  man  may 
be  called  beneficent  for  throwing  farthings,  right  or 
wrong,  out  of  the  window,  our  Counsellor  was  of  that 
description.  No  beggar  solicited  in  vain  ;  and  although 
he  perceived  his  purse  to  grow  lighter,  that  was  no  rea- 
son with  him  for  withholding  his  bounty.  From  the 
hurry  he  was  gilways  in  to  get  rid  of  his  small  coin,  it 


35 


sellor  had  none  at  all.  I  recollect  one  day,  that  seeing  a 
cuckoo,  he  observed,  that  that  bird  always  laid  its  eggs  in 
the  nest  of  another,  and  left  the  owner  the  care  of  hatch- 
ing them.  The  Connsellor  began  to  laugh  ;  when  Alex- 
ander asked  me  if  the  circumstance  was  not  true  ?  I  re- 
plied it  vvas ;  when  the  Counsellor  called  forth  iiis  nasal 
:  wrinkles,  and  cast  a  look  of  pity  on  us  both.  What  I  have 
to  say  further  relative  to  Alexander,  will  be  seen  in  the 
sequel.  I  shall  only  add,  in  order  to  make  his  office  bet- 
ter known  to  the  reader,  that  the  Senate  of  Petersburg 
has  eighty  such  men  at  command,  ready  to  carry  orders 
to  the  most  distant  parts  of  the  world.  They  are,  I  be- 
lieve, subaltern  officers ;  their  dress  resembles  that  of  a 
postman,  except  the  badge,  which,  though  somewhat  like 
tiiat  of  tlie  latter,  bears  a  different  inscription. 

Let  us  now  return  to  my  sufferings.  A  carriage  was 
to  be  bought ;  several  were  exposed  in  the  yard.  This 
purchase  was  a  great  favour,  though  my  own  money  was 
to  pay  for  it.  Commonly,  when  people  are  arrested,  they 
are  thrown,  without  any  regard  to  age  or  rank,  into  a 
kibick,  or  some  other  vehicle  still  more  inconvenient,  and 
hurried  on  through  all  kinds  of  weather.  I  cannot  deny 
but  that  in  general  I  was  treated  with  some  kind  of  in- 
dulgence ;  but  for  this  no  thanks  are  due  to  my  Counsel- 
lor; I  owe  it  to  superior  orders,  for  my  hard-hearted 
keeper  was  utterly  incapable  of  deviating  a  single  step 
from,  the  line  of  conduct  tliat  had  been  marked  out  ior 
him. 

Tersuaded  that  I  was  going  no  farther  than  Petersburg, 
I  purchased  a  half-covered  carriage,  in  other  respects 
very  convenient ;  not  heavy,  and  hung  upon  springs,  but 
fit  only  foi  a  short  journey  ;  for  this  I  paid  five  hundred 
roubles. 

My  wife,  who  observed  that  I  vvas  treated  with  indul- 
gence, became  more  composed.  She  asked  the. Coun- 
sellor if  I  might  be  allowed  to  write  to  her  on  my  route, 
and  was  answered,  bodi  by  him  and  the  Secretary,  in  the 
affirmative. 

At  length,  towards  the  hour  of  seven,  every  thing  be^ 
ing  ready,  I  bade  adieu  to  my  afflicted  family.  How  did 
my  heart  beat  at  diis  cruel  moment !  My  hands  trembled. 


36 


my  knees  tottered,  my  eye-sight  failed  me ;  even  at  th 
present  day  I  cannot  recollect  this  separation  withofi 
painf  ul  emotions.    The  reader  will  allow  me  to  pause  i 
this  melancholy  narrative.    Neither  my  wife  nor  myseJ 
could  weep ;  the  source  of  our  tears  were  dried  up,  and 
our  hearts  were  rung  with  inexpressible  anguish.    I  kis- 
sed my  children,  I  blessed  them  ;  their  mother  threw  her 
arms  about  my  neck,  and  fainted  as  she  received  my  em- 
brace. 

The  Secretary,  who  hitherto  appeared  unconcerned, 
and  had  had  recourse  to  common-place  motives  of  conso- 
lation, could  no  longer  refrain  from  shedding  tears.  Ah  ! 
if  the  kind-hearted  Emperor  (for  such  I  know  him  to  be) 
had  been  present,  with  what  promptitude  would  he  have 
put  an  end  to  this  scene  of  affliction. 

My  wife,  who  could  no  longer  return  my  caresses, 
continued  to  moan  in  a  low  and  inarticulate  voice  ;  her 
eyes  were  closed  :  I  imprinted  a  kiss  on  her  lips,  as  if  it 
■were  the  last,  and  immediately  tore  m^rSelf  away.  My 
servants  led  me  to  the  carriage,  and  took  leave  of  me, 
deeply  afflicted.  A  crowd  of  spectators  assembled  under 
the  gate-way,  had  been  dispersed,  and  the  carriage  was 
drawn  up  there  to  avoid  notice.  I  mounted  with  trem- 
bling steps,  and  was  instantly  driven  away. 

Thus  was  an  unoffending  man  torn  from  his  family ; 
a  peaceful  citizen  arrested,  furnished  as  he  was  with  an 
Imperial  passport,  and  without  knowing  why.  No — it 
is  impossible  that  the  Emperor,  the  humane  Emperor  (for 
such  in  truth  he  is)  could  be  at  all  privy  to  this  transac- 
tion. It  was  not  his  order — Some  perfidious  wretch, 
unknown  to  him,  has  certainly  abused  his  name.  It  is 
now  the  ninth  week  since  I  have  been  able  to  learn  whe- 
ther my  wife  and  children  are  alive  or  dead ;  my  destiny 
perhaps  is  lixed,  and  I  shall  hear  of  them  no  more  ! — 
My  wife,  from  whom,  during  so  many  years,  I  have  never 
been  separated  but  twice,  and  that  but  for  a  week  or  two 
— my  dear  wife  and  I  are  now  torn  asunder  perhaps  for- 
ever I — We  are  passing  these  tedious  and  mournful  days 
almost  without  hope.  O  God!  will  she  survive  this? 
Has  she  survived  it? 


37 


It  is  but  a  year  ago,  and  I  still  recollect  it  with  sorrovc', 
tha^I  went  to  drink  the  waters  of  Pyrmont.  My  wife 
had  just  borne  me  a  boy  ;  and  she  was  not  sufficiently  re- 
covered to  accompany  me.  It  was  my  intention  to  stay 
there  three  weeks,  the  shortest  time  specified  for  taking 
the  waters  w^ith  effect.  Ten  days,  however,  had  scarcely 
elapsed  ere  her  absence  became  insupportable,  and  1  im- 
mediately hastened  back  to  her.  Yet  now  nme  weeks 
are  elapsed  since  I  saw  her:  who  knows  if  in  nine  years, 
nay,  if  ever  I  shall  see  her  again.  One  ray  of  hope  still 
gleams  before  me.  I  feel  some  feeble  consolation  ;  if  I 
am  deluded,  my  despair  will  be  equal  to  my  misery.  I 
can  however  meet  death. 

Vixi,  et  quern  dederat  cursUm  fortuna,  per  agt. 

The  man  who  has  studied  himself,  who  is  at  all  ac-  > 
quainted  with  the  human  heart,  will  believe  me  when  I 
declare,  that  ij^  proportion  as  the  carriage  drove  on,  ] 
found  my  spirits  rise,  and  my  heart  recover  its  ibrcc.  I 
began  to  look  into  the  future.  What  did  it  pr-fesenti'' 
New  inquiries — the  examination  of  my  papers,  my  con- 
duct, my  peaceable  way  of  life.  I  had  to  deal  with  a 
just  monarch,  who  would  not  condemn  me  unheard. 
What  then  could  happen  to  me  ?  Some  slight  incon\'e- 
niences,  the  natural  consequence  of  my  imperfect  ki  iovv- 
ledge  of  the  Russian  language;  but,  thought  1  to  mvseli', 
I  shall  have  an  interpreter:  I  may  for  a  while  be  depriv- 
ed of  a  few  comforts,  and  must  alter  my  usual  habitudes 
a  little.  These  things  are  unpleasant ;  but  surely,  they 
are  not  very  great  misfortunes.  And,  though  I  may  be 
visited  by  the  return  of  a  chronic  disorder,  which  has  tor- 
mented me  for  twelve  years  past,  yet  there  are  good 
physicians  at  Petersburg ;  why  then  should  I  think  my- 
self unhappy  ?  It  is  no  doubt  a  disagreeable  incident,  but 
then  it  is  only  momentary.  I  am  about  to  visit  friends  I 
was  voluntarily  seeking some  extra  expense  will  be  in- 
cinred;  but  that  is  merely  the  sacrifice  of  a  little  money, 
!he  least  painful  of  all  sacrifices.  I  was  besides  fully  pcr- 
sl^aded  .that  the  Governor  of  Mittau  would  takethe  great- 
?'«t  care  of  my  family.    He  had  promised  me  that  every 


38 

thing  should  be  clone  for  them  that  humanity  and  his  own 
good  wishes  could  suggest.* 

Riga  is  not  more  than  seven  short  German  miles  from 
Mittau,  yet  we  did  not  arrive  there  till  midnight.  It  was 
dark  when  we  approached  the  banks  of  the  Duna^  which 
laves  the  walls  of  that  hospitable  city,  and  as  the  floating 
bridge  had  not  been  restored  on  account  of  the  great  floods, 
we  were  obliged  to  cross  the  river  in  a  common  boat, 
•which  considerably  retarded  our  journey. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  gate,  our  Courier  alighted 
and  went  into  the  guard  house,  where  he  staid  a  consi- 
derable time;  but  this  circumstance  ga\^e  me  no  concern. 
'At  length  he  appeared,  and  ordered  that  we  should  drive 
to  the  post-house,  not  through  tlie  city,  properly  so  call- 
/ed,  but  in  a  circuitous  manner,^ through  several  long  and 
>>)d?if  crooked  streets.  We  were  delayed  but  a  short  time; 
fresh  horses  were  quickly  put  to  the  carriage,  and  we  pro- 
ceeded. *  ^ 

I  must  here  remark,  that  the  post-order  ( pod.rroschiie ) 
*ti^o\\!&d  three  horses  in  the  name  of  tlie  Emperor,  and 
Jiiat  the  post-masters  frequently  put  four.  The -fourth 
liorse  was  sometimes  paid  for,  and  sometimes  not.  In 
the  first  case,  they  had  the  post-order  in  their  favour, 
;ind  the  extra  horse  was  at  my  expense. 

We  left  Riga  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  *Thc 
iiir  was  extremely  cold,  exhausted  nature  called  for  re- 
pose, and,  letting  down  the  windows,  I  fell  asleep.  Ai 
the  next  post  I  awoke ;  I  merely  observed  it  was  day- 
light, and  again  closed  my  eyes. 

What  language  can  describe  my  astonisliment  and  ter- 
ror, when  on  awaking  a  short  time  after,  1  perceived 
that  the  route  had  been  changed.  Witli  difficulty  was  1 
so  much  master  of  myself  as  to  suppress  a  scream  of  hor- 
ror, just  ready  to  escape  me.  A  kind  of  instinct  how- 
ever prompted  me  to  remain  silent.  I  am  unable  to  de- 
scribe what  passed  in  my  mind:  Whither  are  they  is^^- 
ing  me  ?  Wiiere  arc   my  papers  to  be  examined  ? 

2t  will  hereafter  appear,  that  my  hopes  unhappily  were  no. 


39 


Who  is  to  examine  them  ?  In  a  word,  wljat  arc  'Cney 
going  to  do  with  mcr — All  these  queries  rushed 
upon  my  mind  at. once;  they  distracted  my  brain,  but 
remained  totally  unsolved.  Gould  I  indeed  conceive  it 
possible  that  I  was  to  be  thus  dragged  to  ^he  v/orld's  end, 
without  having  been  cither  heard  or  examined  ? 

Being  arrived  at  the  post-hou^e,  I  asked  for  some 
coffee,  more  with  Si  view  of  gaining  time-  than  from  a 
vv'ant  of  refreshment.  While  it  was  preparing  I  walked 
about  the  room  in  much  agitation  of  miikl;  the  Counsel- 
lor stood  near  the  carriage  conversing  with  the  post-mas- 
ter; the  Courier  kept  looking  at  him  from  the  window, 
till  he  was  sure  he  was  not  observed  by  him:  then  ru-i- 
dressing  me,  according  to  the  Russian  custom,  "  Fq:1 
Carlovitsch,"  said  he,  ''we  are  not  going  to  Petersburg, 
we  are  going  much  farther."  "-Where?"  said  I,  in  a 
broken  voice.  "  To  Tobolsk,  my  dear  Sir."  ''  To  To- 
bolsk !"•— At  this  word  my  knees  shook  under  me,  aiid  i 
tremor  seized  my  whole  frame.  "  Can  you  re:;  ' 
sian  V  added  he  (still  keeping  his  eyes  on  the  Ccu; 
''A  little,"  replied  I.  *'  Look  at  the  po>t-oracr : 
read,  ''  Bii  coimnand  of  his  Imperial  Maj est i/,  dfc.  jr.^.n 
Mittau  TO  Tobolsk,  Aulic  Coiimellor  Schs.lschekatichiiiy  anv. 
a  person  iiitli  him,  accompanied  hy  a  Senate<ouTier,  on 
nlkiirs  relative  to  the  Crozvn,  (^-c."  Let  the  reader,  if  he 
is  able,  imagine  my  sensations  at  this  dreadful  discover)'. 
I  was  completely  thunderstruck. 

''  I  would  have,  told  you  this  at  Mittau,"  said  the 
Courier;  "  but  we  were  too  closely  observed;  I  have 
been  extremely  sorry  for  you  from  that  very  moment.  I 
have  a  wife  and  I  have  children  too ;  I  well  know .  .  .  ." 
I  thanked  him  ;  and  he  begged  me  to  be  carefld  not  to  let 
it  be  perceived  that  he  had  intrusted  me  with  this  secret; 
for,  said  he,  the  Counsellor  is  a  severe  unfeeling  man , 

The  Counsellor  now  entered  the  room;  fortunaV-ly  he 
was  no  better  versed  in  the  science  of  physiognomy,  than 
ir.  the  na'urM  liistory  of  the  cjckoo,  or  lie  wou'd  not  have 
';vc4:loo!:ed  the  paleness  of  my  cliecks,  and  the  convnl- 
■iivo  tremor  of  my  whole  body.    He  swallowed  a.  glas  ; 

without  pcrcciviiig  any  thinrj;  extrsorduTarv  in 


40 


me.  The  cofTee  came  in,  and,  as  it  may  naturally  be 
supposed,  I  did  not  taste  it.  I  pretended'to  be  indispos- 
ed, and  Heaven  knows  I  was  not  a  little  so!  I  paid  for 
the  cofice,  tlie  Counsellor  drank  it,  and  w^e  continued 
our  journey.  The  roughness  of  the  road  brought  me  to 
my  senses,  and  then  it  was  that  the  idea  of  making  my 
escape  for  the  first  time  came  into  my  head.  I  am  ban- 
ished to  Siberia,  said  I  to  myself,  without  having  been 
heard,  widioutany  legal  process,  without  sentence,  by 
the  more  force  of  tyr^mny,  without  even  being  infornied 
why  I  am  sent  thither. 

The  whole  business  is  incomprehensible  :  either  the 
Emperor  is  an  entire  stranger  to  it,  or  I  am  the  victim 
of  infamous  imposture.  My  papers,  then,  are  not  the 
cause  o/  my  arrest,  or  they  would  have  undergone  an 
examination  before  I  could  have  been  condemned  to  so 
heavy  a  punishment.  Some  enormous  crime  has  been 
laid  to  my  charge;  false  information  has  been  lodged 
agatnst  me,  and  the  calumniator,  in  order  to  screen  him- 
self from  detection,  has  caused  me  to  be  exiled  unheard  ; 
"to  be  buried  alive  in  Siberia :  In  Siberia  !— Ah,  how  shall 
I  e\er  be  able  to  justify  myself  there?  Will  my  com- 
jjlaints  reach  the  shores  of  the  Baltic  ?  And  should  they 
indeed  find  their  way  thither,  on  what  shall  I  ground  my 
justification,  when  1  am  even  ignorant  of  what  I  am  ac- 
cused ?  Let  me  then  make  my  escape !  This  idea 
took  deep  root  in  my  mind,  and  soon  became  a  fixed  re- 
solution. 

On  the  brow  of  a  hill  on  the  banks  of  the  Duna,  and 
near  the  post-house,  stands  an  ancient  castle,  which 
belonged  to  a  Livonian  Prince,  who,  after  having  for  a 
while  defended  himself  against  a  host  of  Christians,  re- 
ceived baptism  with  all  his  subjects.  The  picturesque 
appearance  of  the  ruins  inspired  me  with  the  idea  of  seek- 
ing a  shelter  among  them,  even  at  the  hazard  of  perish- 
ing witii  hunger.  With  this  idea  \a  as  combined  a  favour- 
able recollection.  I  remembered  that  the  estate,  which 
was  called  Kokenhusen,  belonged  to  a  Baron  de  Lowen- 
stern,  with  whom  1  had  becom.e  acquainted  in  Saxony. 
}Te  had  -he  reputation  of  being  aw^orthy  man.    I  knew 


41 


him  to  be  so,  and  in  case  of  need,  it  occurred  to  me  that 
I  might  surrender  myself"  up  to  him. 

We  were  now  arrived  at  the  post-house;  the  master 
and  his  family  seemed  to  be  good  sort  of  people.  While 
the  Counsellor  was  at  a  little  distance,  and  the  horses 
were  changing,  I  inquired,  in  German,  "  to  whom  this 
estate  belonged  ? — To  Baron  de  Lowenstcrn,  w^as  the 
reply. — Where  does  he  live? — Just  below — pointing  to 
his  house,  at  a  small  distance. — Is  he  at  home  ? — N'o, 
he  is  now  fourteen  verstes  off,  at  Stockmannshof,  with 
his  6rother-in-law. — And  his  family  likewise  ?  (T  kpew 
his  lady,  one  of  the  best  women  in  the  world,,  and  hi.^ 
children,  who  were  worthy  of  such  parents.) — Yesi  ^'e- 
plied  they. — Ts  Stockmannshof  in  our  w^ay  ? — You%ill 
pass  through  it. — Is  Depart  far  off? — Six  Germ  an  miles.*' 
It  was  not  possible  to  make  further  inquiries  ;  the  horse> 
were  put  to,  and  we  hurried  away. 

An  accident  happened  on  the  road  which  afforded  mo 
no  small  satisfaction.  One  of  our  horses  became  restive, 
and  suddenly  stood  still.  The  postillion  used  every 
effort  to  make  him  move,  without  effect;  in  spite  of 
hollowing  and  beating,  the  animal  remained  immoveablci 
My  companions  now  began  to  swear,  and  bestowed  on 
the  whole  Livonian  nation  the  grossest  abuse.  Everv 
expedient  being  at  length  exhausted,  our  Courier  gave 
vent  to  his  ill-humour  in  beating  the  postillion.  The 
ter  dismounted,  and  declared  he  would  not  go  on  if  vk 
was  to  be  treated  in  that  manner.  This  declaiaiion  wa-^ 
very  natural,  but  it  threw  the  Counsellor  into  a  violent 
rage ;  he  alighted,  and  making  up  to  the  first  tree,  cut 
off  a  thick  branch,  and  seizing  the  postillion  by  the  throat, 
threw  him  on  the  ground,  and  began  to  beat  him  with- 
out mercy.  He  then  ordered  him  to  take  the  reins  again, 
if  he  did  not  wish  for  a  repetition  of  the  discipline  which 
he  had  just  received.  But  while  he  was  getthig  into  the 
carriage,  and  the  Courier  was  engaged  in  helping  him 
up,  the  postillion,  who  had  a  very  good  pair  of  legs,  was 
quickl}'  at  a  hundred  paces  from  us.  In  vain  the  Courier 
strove  to  overtake  him ;  the  man  had  al«iady  gained 
too  much  ground,  and  his  pursuer  w^s  obliged  to  return. 


We  were  now  left  on  the  high  road,  with  a  restive  horse, 
and  without  a  driver.  In  this  sad  perplexity,  what  was 
to  be  done?  To  return  seemed  best,  and  we' immediate- 
ly set  about  doing  so ;  but  we  moved  on  at  a  slow  rate, 
lor  the  Courier,  who  had  taken  the  reins,  did  not  know 
how  to  drive.  He  kept  going  from  right  to  left,  and 
irom  left  to  right,  and  this  cost  the  Livonian  nation,  who 
had  nothing  to  do  in  the  business,  another  volley  of 
curses  and  infamous  exclamations. 

When  1  say  curses,  I  am  not  quite  correct ;  I  should 
not  use  the  plural  number;  the  Russians  have  but  one 
curse,  which,  it  must  be  allowed,  is  worth  all  the  rest. 
They.i^ish,  for  instance,  that  the  mother  of  the  man 
against'whora  they  are  enraged,  may  have  the  devil  for 
her  paramour;  and  they  express  this  in  a  manner  so  ex- 
plicit, that  those  wlio  are  averse  to  doubtful  meanings, 
must  be  perfectly  satisfied  with  it.  I  do  not  exaggerate 
when  I  declare,  that,  during  this  single  day,  our  people 
had  recourse  to  this  vile  ribaldry  more  than  a  thousand 
times.  The  expression  is  indeed  as  common  among  the 
ill-bred  Russians,  a?  damning  a  thing  is  in  the  mouth  of 
an  Englishman,  or  as  the  word  JNIonsieur  was,  in  former 
times,  in  that  of  a  Frenchman. 

On  our  return  to  Kokenhusen,  the  Counsellor  made 
many  bitter  complaints  against  the  postillion,  without 
saying  a  word  about  the  beating  which  he  had  given  him. 
'*  Vou  must  have  used  him  ill,"  said  the  post-master, "  for  he 
is  a  steady  lad."  The  fact  vvaspositively  denied  ;  the  post- 
master looked  at  me,  and  1  answered  in  favour  of  the  in- 
jured post-boy  by  an  inclination  of  my  head. 

It  is  well  known,  that  in  a  coarse  mind  the  conscious- 
2iess  of  having  been  in  the  wrong,  creates  emotions  of 
anger.  Our  Counsellor  finding  liimself  in  this  position, 
poured  forth  a  volley  of  the  most  indecent  abuse,  which 
he  accompanied  with  threats.  But  as  the  post-master 
had  no  legal  remedy,  except  that  of  making  his  complaint 
in  the  usual  way,  without  being  able  to  retard  the  depar- 
ture of  the  Courier,  he  gave  us  a  fresh  horse;  but  a  fresh 
postillion  was  not  so  easily  to  be  found.  This  circum- 
^tance  took  up  a  considerable  time,  which,  as  far  as  it 
roncerned  me,  was  by  no  means  disagreeable. 


43 


During  all  this  time  I  remained  alone  in  the  carriage. 
The  post-master's  brother  came  up  to^me,  and,  in  a  man- 
ner that  seemed  very  particular,  said,  Your  name. 
Sir,  is  not  inserted  in  the  body  ot  the  post-order."  I  was 
quite  at  a  loss  what  answer  to  make.  I  have  since  in- 
deed learnt,  that  the  name  not  being  inserted  therein, 
the  post-master  was  not  obliged  to  furnish  horses.  Had  I 
known  this  sooner,  I  should  have  urged  him  to  have  avail- 
ed himself  of  his  right.  What  could  our  Counsellor  have 
done?  He  must  have  waited  here  till  he  could  have  pro- 
vided himself  with  horses  from  Riga.  The  Governor  of 
Riga  being  totally  ignorant  of  this,  would  have  written  to 
Mittau,  which  must  have  taken  up  considerable  time ; 
and  in  this  instance  at  least,  muaii  advantage  might  have 
been  gained  by  procrastination.  I  should  by  this  means 
have  had  time  to  prepare  for  my  flight ;  but  in  the  state 
of  ignorance  in  whichj  now  remained,  1  was  unable  to 
avail  myself  of  this  deslra.ble  expedient ;  and  accordingly 
after  dmner,  we  set  out  in  the  usual  manner. 

During  the  whole  journey,  I  continued  to  take  a  men- 
tal survey  of  the  country,  and  particularly  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Stockmannshof.  The  Dunaran  on  my  right, 
and  on  my  left  I  remarked  a  chain  of  hills  covered  with 
wood.    At  six  o'clock  we  arrived  at  the  frontier  post.* 

In  a  little  time,  said  I  to  myself,  my  destiny  will  be 
fixed.  Beyond  Livonia  I  shall  find  no  friends,  no  ac- 
quaintance, not  a  soul  that  can  speak  the  same  language  as 
myself:  now  then  is  the  time  to  make  my  escape.  With 
this  view  I  declared,  though  it  was  tar  trom  being  late, 
that  1  was  unable  to  go  on  any  farther,  and  that  I  must  ab- 
solutely stop  to  obtain  a  little  rest.  This  displeased  our 
Counsellor ;  he  would  fain  have  persuaded  me  to  con- 
tinue the  journey;  he  however  thought  fit  to  stop,  and 
this  complaisance  must  certainly  be  attributed  to  his  or- 
ders, which  enjoined  him  not  to  weary  me  to  death. 

It  was  accordingly  arranged  that  we  should  pass  the 
mght  at  this  place.    The  post-house  had  a  very  miser- 
able appearance,  the  room  we  were  in  being  full  of  hogs  , 
and  poultry,  and  in  other  respects  extremely  disgusting. 

*  The  frontiers  of  Livonia,  and  the  province  of  Witpsk, 


I  urged  with  great  vciicmcnce  our  going  farther  to  an! 
inn  wliich  I  had  perceived,  and  which  being  built  of 
stone,  promised  to  afford  better  accommodatlonT; ;  but 
the  truth  wa-,  that  the  post-house  was  iil-adapted  for  the 
execution  of  my  project. 

This  inn,  to  which  we  drove,  was  kept  by  an  Israel- 
ite, and  Belonged  to  the  village  of  Stockmannshof.  It 
stood  on  the  high  road,  which  alone  separated  it  from 
the  Duna.  At  a  few  paces  from  hence  the  woody  hills, 
in  which  I  had  placed  all  ray  hopes,  began  to  rise.  The 
Courier  set  about  preparing  supper.  He  boasted  of  his  culi- 
nary talents,  andhadkilled  a  fowl,  of  which  he  promised 
to  make  an  excellent  mess  of  broth.  I  appeared  to  be 
TTMich  delighted  at  the^e  preparations,  and  in  the  mean 
time  strolled  about  the  door  with  the  Counsellor.  I  ex- 
amined the  banks  of  the  river,  and  the  rafts  of  timber 
which  were  floating  down  the  stream.  I  took  a  silent 
survey  of  the  country,  returned  to  my  chamber  and  ex- 
amined the  window,  which  was  fastened  only  by  a  slight 
string.  I  observed  with  delight  tliutit  favoured  my  pur- 
pose, and  that  it  might  be  opened  and  shut  without  any 
nol;e. 

The  Counsellor  accidentally  left  some  writing  paper 
on  the  table;  I  had  the  precaution  to  conceal  a  sheet  of 
it,  in  the  notion  that  it  might  hereafter  prove  extremely 
useful  to  me. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  Courier  brouglUin  supper,  Vhicli 
consisted  of  a  strong  soup,  a  smoke-dried  sausage,  and, 
some  Dantzic  spirits.  The  two  last  articles  ray  wife's 
chamber-maid  had  put  into  the  carriage  without  my 
knowledge. 

In  order  to  compliment  the  talents  of  the  cook,  I  tast- 
ed a  few  spoonfuls  of  soup,  and  I  even  assumed  a  gaiety 
of  behaviour  that  was  far  from  appearing  unnatural. 
The  mind,  in  the  present  instance,  was  however  more 
obedient  than  the  body,  for  in  spite  of  all  my  attempts,  I 
could  not  swallow  a  morsel,  and  I  pretended  extreme 
lassitude  in  excuse  for  my^want  of  appetite. 

I  now  rose  from  table  to  retire  to  rest.  My  corn- 
pan  ion  would  have  persuaded  mc  to  occupy  the  bed. 


the  only  one  in  the  house ;  but  as  it  stood  in  a  distant 
corner  of  the  room,  I  observed  that  as  it  seemed  very 
dirty,  I  preferred  some  clean  ha)',  v^  hich  I  caused  to  be 
I  laid  on  the  ground  not  far  from  tlie  window.  My  night- 
gown was  spread  over  this :  I  wrapped  myself  up  in  my 
>  cloak,  and  was  about  to  throw  myself  down,  dressed  as 
I  was,  upon  this  rustic  bed,  when  the  Courier  came  to 
me  to  pull  off  my  boots.  Fortunately  he  placed  them 
near  me.    I  laid  myself  down  and  apparently  fell  asleep. 

My  Icllow-travellers  remained  at  ihe  table  till  they  had 
nothing  more  to  eat  or  drink,  and  then  went  to  rest. . 
The  Counsellor  stretched  himself  upon  a  bench  which 
was  separated  from  me  only*/)E)y  the  table.  Above  it  was 
the  window  through  which  1  hoped  to  escape.  The 
Courier  slept  in  the  carriage,  which  stood  close  to  the 
same  window. 

It  was  now  nearly  eleven  o'clock  ;  the  night  was  dark, 
though  the  moon  was  at  the  full.  The  Counsellor  was 
fast  asleep.  This  was  the  favourable  moment;  but 
unluckily  our  Jews  were  celebrating  the  eve  of  their  Sab- 
bath in  the  most  noisy  manner.  They  kept  continually 
running  through  the  chamber  ;  at  one  time  came  the 
host,  at  another  his  wife,  and  then  the  children.  This 
unpleasant  noise  often  roused  the  Counsellor  from  hh 
slumbers,  and  made  him  rave  and  swear  mo  angrily. 
I  joined  my  prayers  to  his  imprecations ;  but  all  in  vain  ! 
for  the^e  orgies  continued  till  two  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
at  which  hour  the  Israelites  retired  to  restj  and  all  became 
quiet. 

Availing  myself  of  the  profound  silence  which  now 
reigned  throughout  the  whole  house,  I  entered  upon  my 
enterprize.  In  the  first  place  I  crawled  on  my  knees, 
and  gently  untied  the  string  of  the  window;  this  I  hap- 
pily effected  without  the  least  noise  or  difficulty.  I  heard 
the  Courier  snore,  and  was  enchanted  at  the  sound.  I 
then  began  to  feel  for  my  boots,  and  taking  hold  of  them, 
together  with  my  cloak,  I  got  upon  the  table  in  the  most 
'  utious  manner,  scarcely  allowing  myself  to  breathe, 
lid  always  pausing  when  I  heard  the  Coun^'Cllor  stir, 
ilms  far  all  went  on  perfectly  well ;  but  I  now  met 


46 

Willi  great  embarrassment.  The  window  was  high,  m 
foot  could  not  reach  the  ground,  nor  was  there  any  thin 
against  the  wall  on  which  I  might  have  stepped. 

What  was  to  be  done?  Should  I  drop  down  at  once 
This  could  not  be  accomplished  without  having  tw" 
liands  to  hang  by,  and  my  left  hand  was  full.    To  hav 
thrown  ray  things  into  the  street,  would  have  made  some 
noise,  and  if  the  Counsellor  should  awake  before  I  could 
follow  them,  all  my  projects  were  at  an  end.    This  was, 
however,  my  only  resource,  and  I  had  no  time>fco  lose. 
I  first  let  down  my  cloak  verv  softly;  it  served  to  re- 
ceive my  boots,  which  instantly  followed,  Avilhout  any 
noise  or  accident.    It  was  Hdw  my  turn  to  descend.  1 
hung  upon  my  elbows,  one  of  my  feet  IoucJk^  the  car- 
riage, and  the  other  the  ground,  and  thus  1  cleared  my 
way. 

Having  effected  my  escape,  it  was  necessary  to  pro- 
vide against  immediate  discovery.  The  Courier  con- 
tinued snoring  in  a  manner  that  promised  a  long  sleep, 
but  the  cold  that  would  come  in  at  the  windov/,  might 
awaken  the  Counsellor,  who  would  instantly  discover 
my  flight.  To  prevent  such  an  accident,  1  drew  the 
window  as  closely  as  I  was  able,  and  then  turning  the 
corner  of  the  house,  I  put  on  my  cloak  and  boots. 

I  first  wandered  through  a  swam.py  meadow,  whicli 
lay  behind  tjie  inn,  but  1  soon  got  into  the  high  road. 
My  plan  was  to  hasten  to  Kokenhasen,  and  throw  my- 
self upon  the  post-master's  mercy.  Tiie  hope  I  placed  in 
this  man  and  his  family,  was  partly  founded  on  their  phy- 
siognomy, and  partly  on  the  unpleasant  affair  of  the  pre- 
ceding-day, which  I  thought  they  would  be  inclined  to 
resent:  and  I  was  also  of  opinion,  that  they  might  not 
be  insensible  to  the  charms  of  a  large  sum  of  m.oney, 
•wiiich  woukl  have  been  much  at  their  service  for  their 
assistance. 

Should  the  man  be  disinclined  to  harbour  rae  in  hi? 
house,  or  should  he  not  have  room  for  me,  I  then  ir- 
tended  to  have  concealed  myself  among  the  ruins  of  Kc 
kenhusen,  and  to  make  an  agreement  with  him  to  sup 
ply  me  with  food.    I  also  intended,  through  his  it""  :- 


47 


i   to  inform  Baron  de  Lovvenstern  of  my  flight,  who  would 
1   send  such  information  to  my  wife,  and  she  would  make 
.  known  mv  situation  to  my  friends.    In  short,  I  had 

-  formed  a  jplan  which  appeared  very  practicable;  but  I 
have  reasons  for  not  entering  into  i'urther  detail  at  pre- 
.sent.* 

A  single  circumstance  completely  frustrated  my  plan : 
It  was  necessary  that  I  sliould  arrive  during  the  night  at 
Kokenhusen,  to  avoid  being  overtaken  by  the  Coun- 
sellor, and  the  Jews' Sabbath  had  too  much  retarded  my 
operations.  It  was  full  three  o'clock,  and  five  hourt, 
were  hardly  sufficient  for  so  long  a  walk.  It  might  hap- 
pen that  the  Counsellor  would  get  up  early  and  overtake 

I  me;  and  ||p|ies,  I  dreaded  appearing  by  day-light  at 

I  Kokenhusen,  where  it  was  very  natural  to  suppose  in- 
quiry would  speedily  be  made,  not  only  by  my  com- 
panions, but  by  others,  in  consequence  of  the  general 
alarm  thev  would  spread.    I  therefore  determined  to 

i  proceed  as  long  as  I  was  favoured  by  the  night,  and  to 
conceal  myself  in  the  \^•oods  the  moment  day  began  to 

,  appear. 

Every  thing  being  thus  considered  an'd  arranged,  I 
followed  the  highway,  still  walking  through  the  adjacent 
meadows  whenever  I  found  a  path  near  the  road.  At 
length  I  perceived  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  a  house 
which  the  day  before  I  had  taken  for  a  military  pavilion. 
In  Livonia  we  often  meet  with  such  buildings;  they 
serve  to  lodge  the  otncers  whose  regiments  are  stationed 
in  the  en\'irons ;  and  when  the  guests  are  gone,  the  houses 

-  are  shut  up.  1  had  observed  the  preceding  day,  that 
the  doors  and  window-shutters  were  closed,  that  the 

^  centry-box  was  empty,  and  I  concluded  it  was  not  in- 
I  habited. 

'      Under  this  conviction,  as  it  lav  at  some  distance  from 

the  high  road,  I  resolved  to  pass  by  it. 
'      "  Who  goes  there  r'^  cried  a  centinel.    A  question  so 
'  unexpected  startled  me;  but  I  had  the  presence  of  mind 
r.-ske  the  usual  reply. 

'  These  reasons  no  longer  influence  me,  and  I  shall  renew 
subject  in  another  part  cf  this  narrative. 


48 


"  What  road  are  you  taking?  Whither  are  yoa  g 

ingr"  ''To  Stock'mannshof?'  "  But  the  road  fi 

there."  "  I  did  not  perceive  it." 

I  was  going  on,  but  "  Halt!"  "  Hush,  friend 

said  I ;  ''I  am  coming  from  Stockmannshof :  I  have 
been  paying  a  visit  to  a  Jew  girl  yonder;  let  me  get 
back  snugly,  and  take  no  notice  of"  having  seen  me  at 
all."  To  this  request  I  added  the  offer  of  some  money. 
The  man  murmured  a  little,  but  let  me  pass  on. 

This  accident  rendered  me  timid ;  I  feared  others  of 
the  same  kind,  and  kept  entirely  along  the  high  road. 
*  Had  I  been  observed  here,  at  least  there  would  have 
been  nodiing  extraordinary  in  it,  and  besides,  I  found  it 
was  better  walking  than  through  the  mea^jpi. 

Anodier  adventure  now  befel  me.  Aftfer  having  tra-j 
veiled  a  few  verstes,  I  heard  the  alarm  beat  at  a  consi-1 
derable  distance  behind  me.  This  custom  requires  some 
explanation. 

In  the  Russian  villages,  and  other  places  very  remote 
from  towns,  a  plank  is  suspended  between  two  pieces 
of  wood.  Whenever  the  servants  are  to  be  called  to 
their  meals  or  their  work ;  or  when  the  hour  of  the  day 
is  to  be  made  known,  this  board  is  struck  with  a  heavy 
mallet,  and  the  sound  is  heard  at  a  very  great  distance. 
I  was  much  alarmed.  It  is  very  early,  said  I  to  my- 
self; the  servants  are  no  where  accustomed  to  breakfast 
so  soon;  it  cannot  be  the  hour  that  is  struck,  for  this  is 
not  the  manner  of  doing  it,  the  strokes  fall  too  fast, 
Alas!  I  perceive  what  it  is:  The  Counsellor  has  dis- 
covered my  escape;  he  has  alarmed  the  inn,  or  spoken 
with  the  centinel,  who  has  certainly  betrayed  me;  he  is 
therefore  pursuing  me,  and  raising  the  country  in  his 
progress.* 

The  noise  at  last  becoming  very  suspicious,  I  was  in- 
duced to  quit  the  public  road,  and  immediately  rushed 
into  a  close  copse.  From  tim.e  to  time  I  fell  into  a  glade, 
v;hich  I  hastily  ran  across,  and  again  took  shelter  among 

*  Whether  my  conjectures  were  right,  1  have  not  slncclean: 
kaving  never  spoken  of  this  affair. 


the  trees.  The  wood  now  began  to  grow  ttiicker.  i 
saw  a  hill  before  nic,  whicli  seemed  lo  promise  a  fa- 
vourable retreat,  and  I  made  towards  it  by  the  nearest 
way,  which  led  me  over  some  marshy  ground,  and  the 
farther  I  proceeded,  the  more  I  became  entangled  in  the 
swamps.  Being  up  to  my  knees  in  very  stiff  clay,  I 
began  to  reflect  on  what  was  to  be  done,  and  feeling 
myself  quite  worn  out  with  fatigue,  I  remained  motionless 
in  the  midst  of  the  bog.  Day-light  was  near  at  hand; 
but  of  what  use  would  it  be  to  me?  The  underwood  was 
thick;  I  was  surrounded  by  young  pine  trees,  and  I  could 
not  see  ten  steps  before  me.  What  should  I  do?  Re- 
turn? Nojeath  itself  appeared  less  dreadful  than  the 
necessitywBfcig  driven  to  that  resolution.  At  length 
I  recovered amltle  from  my  fatigue,  and  exerting  all  my 
strength,  after  an  hour's  painful  walk,  arrived  at  the  hill. 
This  hill,  however,  did  not  afford  what  it  promised  at  a 
distance:  I  quitted  it,  and  "continued  to  make  the  best 
use  of  my  legs.  Rambling  from  hill  to  hill,  I  found  se- 
veral patlis  which  led  to  some  ill-cultivated  grounds  in 
the  woods.  These  I  endeavoured  to  avoid  with  extreme 
caution,  but  I  often  fell  into  them,  and -was  consequently 
led  so  much  astray,  that  at  night  I  should  not  have  been 
able  to  have  regained  the  high  road,  had  I  not  been 
guided  by  the  sound  of  the  waters  of  the  Duna,  which 
seemed  always  to  be  within  hearing.  In  fine,  after  all 
these  windings,  after  having  rejected  twenty  different 
spots  as  improper  to  remain  in,  I  observed  a  clump  of 
firs  extremely  thick  and  gloomy.  In  the  midst  of  this 
grove  two  lofty  birch  trees  rose  from  the  same  stem,  and 
joined  in  a  friendly  manner  their  spreading  branches : 
they  reminded  me  of  my  tender  union  at  home,  and  af- 
forded me  a  happy  presage.  I  gave  the  preference  to 
this  spot,  half  persuaded  that  under  the  shelter  of  these 
trees  no  harm  could  happen  to  me. 

It  was  then  only  seven  o'clock,  and  I  could  not  think 
of  quitting  my  retreat  before  ten :  I  therefore  had  time 
enough  to  arrange  the  plan  of  my  future  proceedings.  I 
began  to  scrape  the  dirt  from  *my  boots,  and  should  have 
dried  my sek' completely,  had  the  weather  been  warmer 
E 


50 


iiPiCl  the  spot  less  damp.  I  wrapped  myself  up  in  mv 
cloak,  and  sat  down  at  the  loot  of  the  birch  trees.  The 
surrounding  Hrs  ibrnicd  a  thick  inclosure,  beyond  which, 
at  t1ic  distance  of  thirty  stejxs,  was  a  swampy  fence- 
wood,  terminated  by  a  bare  and  barren  hill.  I  could 
percei\-e  through  the  branches  every  thing  that  passed 
over  the  hill  or  through  tiie  copse;  and  on  my  right  hand 
and  left,  as  well  as  behind  me,  the  woods  bounded  the 
horizon. 

Stockmannshof,  said  I  to  myself,  is  not  far  distant:  It 
is  the  residence  of  his  Majesty's  Chamberlain,  M.  de 
Eeyer,  the  father  of  Madame  de  Lovvenstern ;  I  have 
licard  him  well  spoken  of;  he  is  a  man  of  a  noble  turn 
of  mitid,  and  most  assuredly  his  daugliUr  mi^t  likewise 
possess  many  excellent  qualities,  having  h^n  educated 
by  such  parents,  and  having  had  the  advantage  of  their 
excellent  example  always  before  her.  I  was  persuaded 
at  that  time  tliat  1  might  safely  depend  on  him;  but  I 
soon  after  entertained  a  very  different  opinion.  His 
seat,  continued  I,  is  near  the  high  road ;  the  Counsellor, 
perhaps,  may  have  been  there,  and  given  orders  to  every  ■ 
one  in  the  village  to  detain  me.  How  should  I  be  able 
to  speak  to  M.  de  Be}  er  without  making  my  way  through] 
Ills  wholo  train  of  lacqueys,  who  might  have  heard  of] 
my  flight,  and  would  prevent  the  kind  assistance  of  their 
master;  who  being  a  man  above  the  temptation  of  any 
reward,  would  be  solely  actuated  by  hi.s  own  feelings  in 
afibrding  n>e  assistance :  My  first  plan,  thought  I,  is 
therefore  preferable;  I  will  go  to  Kokenhuscn ;  should 
the  Counsellor  have  got  the  start  of  me,  and  spread  the 
alarm  there,  the  people  I  am  going  to  will  only  laugh 
at  his  perplexities,  and  assist  me  for  the  sake  of  satisfy- 
ing their  own  revenge.  Should  he  ev,en  give  them  mo- 
ney^  I  will  double  the  sum:  it  is  well,  however,  to  take 
this  day  to  consider  all  possible  contingencies. 

After  thus  counselling  with  myself,  I  drew  the  sheet 
of  paper  from  my  pocket  and  cut  it  into  several  slips; 
then  taking  out  my  pencil,  I  began  to  write  with  wet 
fingers,  a  billet  to  M.  de  Beyer,  one  to  Baron  de  Lciw- 
enstern,  a  third  to  my  wife,  with  some  other  notes  of  no 


51 


consequence.  While  I  was  thus  employ cd;,  a  storm 
arose:  I  was  well  aware,  that  during  its  continuance  it 
was  dangerous  to  remain  under  the  trees:  I  felt  no  in- 
clination, however,  to  leave  this  shelter,  and  even  wished 
the  thunderbolt  to  fall  on  my  head.  I  have  always  con- 
sidered this  kind  of  death  as  the  most  desirable,  and  I 
should  now  have  received  as  a  blessing  the  stroke  that 
w^ould  so  easily  have  terminated  all  my  misfortunes:  But 
I  wished  for  dissolution  in  vain;  the  storm  exhausted  it- 
self in  a  violent  shower  of  hail,  which  quickly  changed 
into  rain,  and  I  was  drenched  from  head  to  foot. 

This  shower,  however  disagreeable  in  itself,  was  in 
anodier  point  of  view  extremely  favourable.  I  had  suf- 
fered tljjMjltp  such  a  degree,  that  my  tongue  was  parch- 
ed: The  trees  now  glistened  with  large  drops  of  water; 
I  applied  my  lips  to  every  fir  apple  I  could  reach,  and 
at  this  moment  1  felt  the  whole  force  of  that  picture  con- 
tained in  the  Gospel,  of  the  rich  man  in  torments,  beg- 
ging in  vain  for  a  drop  of  water  to  cool  his  parched 
tongue !  When  I  bad  exhausted  all  that  were  at 
hand,  I  went  further  in  quest  of  others;  but  I  was  con- 
stantly under  the  necessity  of  proceeding  cautiously,  lest 
in  snatching  too  eagerly  at  the  tenipting  bough,  the  drops 
of  rain  should  fall  on  the  ground  before  I  could  reach 
them.  By  degrees  I  grew  more  dexterous;  but  an  un- 
invited guest  soon  came  to  rob  me  of  my  frugal  bever- 
age :  the  meridian  sun  evaporated  e\  ery  drop. 

I  heard  a  carriage  pass  along  a  road  which  I  conceived 
to  be  the  highway.  I  imagined  it  to  be  my  ov/n,  which 
the  Counsellor  might  have  taken  in  order  to  pursue  n>e 
at  his  ease.  This  was  the  only  sound  made  by  a  human 
being  that  had  yet  disturbed  my  solitude.  At  noon, 
however,  it  was  disturbed  in  a  manner  that  tilled  me 
with  inexpressible  terror.  I  observed^  peasant  on  horse- 
back, trotting  in  various  directions  across  the  plain.  .  He 
tra\  ersed  the  meadows,  rode  up  the  hill,  galloped  down 
again,  surveyed  the  bushes  and  rode  in  among  them. 
At  last,  seeming  not  to  know  which  way  to  take,  he 
rnade  directly  towards  my  hiding-place.  Happily  the 
fricM,  -ly  clump  that  aflbrded  me  a  refuge,  concealed  me; 


tlie  man  turned  off,  and  I  saw  him  no  more.    I  had  aM 
ready  remarked,  that  no  road  ran  near  this  spot,  and  I 
naturally  condiided  the  peasant  to  be  one  who  was  sent 
in  scarcli  of"  me. 

Half  an  hour  afterwards,  a  cart  appeared  on  the  same 
spot,  and  merely  crossed  it :  In  botli  cases  I  laid  myself 
Hat  on  the  ground. 

I  perceived  in  the  afternoon,  that  tlie  forest  which 
laid  behind  me  did  not  extend  so  far  as  I  had  at  first 
thought,  and  I  observed  several  carriages  pass  near  mc 
in  front.  I  likewise  heard  three  or  four  peasant  girls 
twinging,  and  playing  together  at  no  great  distance:  they 
did  not  seem  to  be  of  Uie  number  of  the  peasants  sent  out 
in  quest  of  me,  whence  I  supposed  it  vva|dfek  road  to 
some  village  that  lay  in  the  neighbourhood/^^ 

About  five  c/clock  I  experienced  an  alarm  which 
greatly  surpassed  all  that  I  had  hitherto  felt.  I  heard 
the  cry  of  a  pack  of  hounds,  and  the  voice  of  the  hunts- 
man who  was  leading  them  on.  The  story  of  Joseph 
Pignata,  who,  after  nis  escape  from  the  prison  of  the 
Inquisition,  was  hunted  by  blood-hounds,  rushed  into 
iny  mind.  I  knew,  indeed,  that  in  Livonia  it  was  not 
the  custom  to  hunt  men;  but  the  animal  that  was  pur- 
sued might  take  towards  the  spot  where  I  was  concealed, 
and  the  dogs  in  following  the  scent,  would  of  course 
penetrate  my  retreat;  and  it  is  well  known  to  every 
sportsman,  that  when  they  come  within  view  of  a  human 
creature,  they  alter  their  cry.  In  such  a  predicament 
1  must  unavoidably  be  discovered  by  the  huntsman.  At 
one  time  they  were  within  two  hundred  paces  of.  my 
hiding-place.  In  this  perplexity  I  wrapped  myself  close- 
ly up  in  my  cloak,  and  yielded  entirely  to  chance.  The 
hunt  hy  degrees  look  another  direction,  and  the  dogs 
soon  ra'n  out  of  sight  in  pursuit  of  their  game. 

I  am  not  at  present  able  to  say  with  certainty,  whe- 
ther this  was  merely  a  common  hunt,  or  a  pack  ot  hounds 
Jed  out  in  })ursu:t  of  me ;  but  I  have  reason  to  believe, 
that  I  was  actually  the  object  of  their  c  hase,  the  hunting 
season  being  over.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  well  known 
that  tlie  shepherds'  dogs  follow  the  scent  in  the  spring, 
and  make  great  havock  among  the  game. 


o3 

In  addition  to  the  terrors  arising  from  real  danger?,  I 
had  likewise  to  contend  with  the  idle  illusions  of  the 
fancy.  At  one  time  I  imagined  an  old  stump  of  a  tree- 
in  the  fence-wood  to  be  a  man  ;  and  as  the  day  declined, 
I  grew  still  more  subject  to  these  deceptive  apprehen- 
sions. At  another  time  I  thought  I  perceived  a  sports- 
man before  me  with  a  green  hat  and  jacket,  and  that; 
he  was  taking  aim  at  me.  I  observed  his  fowling  piece, 
marked  the  turn  of  his  countenance,  which  seemed  to  be 
very  agreeable  and  full  of  kindness.  I  was  so  far  de- 
ceived as  to  take  off  my  cloak,  and  make  signs  to  con- 
xiuce  him  of  his  error  in  having  taken  me  for  a  deer. 

Had  I  remained  much  longer  in  the  wood,  I  certainly 
should  h^^  experienced  a  derangement  of  intellect, 
which  pfBfeps  would  have  terminated  in  real  madness. 
My  brain  seemed  on  fire ;  my  ears  rang,  and  sparkles 
danced  before  my  eyes  ;  my  feet  were  numbed,  and  my 
hands  were  in  the  same  condition;  my  whole  frame 
shivered,  and  my  pulse  was  irregular. 

I  felt  myself  ill,  very  ill.  Shall  I  say  what  now- 
supported  me  ?  My  wife,  my  angelic  wife.  The  dear 
name  of  my  Amelia,  iiivoked  in  a  i'eeble  tone,  roused 
the  last  remains  of  my  strength,  and  called  forth  my 
drooping  courage.  But  this  talisman  operated  only  upon 
the  mind ;  exhausted  nature  called  for  other  sustenance. 

It  was  now  Saturday  evening.  At  the  post-house  on 
the  other  side  Mittau,  I  had  taken  a  slice  of  bread  and 
butter  with  a  dish  of  coffee ;  the  next  day  a  biscuit;  on 
Friday  three  spoonfuls  of  soup ;  besides  this,  I  had  not  tast- 
ed a  single  morsel,  and  the  drops  of  water  were  all  I  had 
swallowed  the  whole  of  the  present  day.  1  was  aware,, 
that  unless  I  obtained  food  I  should  soon  die  in  the  woods 
or  on  the  highway.  What  a  useless  thing  is  money  !  I 
had  more  than  seven  hundred  roubles  about  me,  yet  I 
was  unable  to  procure  a  morsel  of  bread.  Nor  was  this 
all ;  sleep  had  long  been  a  stranger  to  my  eyes  ;  for  the 
short  slumber  that  stole  upon  me  in  the  carriage,  could 
Jiot  be  called  repose. 

When  it  grew  darker,  a  woodcock  flew  over  my  head. 
Its  hearse  and  brawling  cry  renewed  the  sensations  of 


54 

my  pastimes  in  liappier  days.  It  had  been  a  favourit 
sport  with  me  when  I  resided  in  Livonia,  to  pass  the  fin 
evenings  in  the  spring  in  pursuit  of  this  bird  of  passage 
which,  it  is  well  known,  is  very  scarce  in  Germany 
At  the  recollection  of  this  spot,  a  thousand  other  idea 
arose  in  my  mind  with  tormenting  officiousness.  I  sen 
a  licavy  sigh  after  the  bird:  it  was  its  hour  of  quittin 
the  wood,  and  it  warned  me  likewise  to  leave  it. 

Being  desirous  to  take  a  short  route  in  order  to  regai 
tlie  highway,  I  traversed  one  of  those  roads  which  are 
made  in  forests  for  the  purpose  of  drawing  away  the 
iallen  timber.  Just  as  I  arrived  there,  some  boors  were 
driving  their  empty  carts  along  at  full  trot.  Not  being 
able  to  make  my  retreat,  I  had  instantly  recourse  to  my 
usual  expedient.  I  lay  flat  on  the  ground,  <J|ifeting  my- 
vself  wholly  to  chance.  The  thicket  where  I  was  con- 
cealed, was  very  bare ;  I  had,  nevertheless,  the  good 
ibrttme  not  to  be  perceived.  Scarcely  were  they  gone, 
when  1  continued  my  route  in  the  direction  I  had  at  first 
taken.  I  quickly  observed,  however,  that  instead  of 
coming  to  the  end  of  the  wood,  I  was  travelling  farther 
into  it,  and  the  noise  which  I  had  taken  for  the  waters 
of  the  Duna,  was  nothing  but  the  effect  of  the  wind  up- 
f)n  the  trees,  which  was  heard  every  where  round. — 
What  was  now  to  be  done?  Return  to  the  marshes? 
Could  I  return  in  the  dark  ?  Hunger,  tliirst,  cold  and 
ialigue  would  have  reduced  me  to  my  last  gasp,  and  my 
body,  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  wolves,  would  become 
their  prey.  I  then  determined  to  seek  for  the  cart-road 
I  had  observed,  and,  although  the  task  was  extremely 
difficult,  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  I  discovered  it. 

I  walked  fast  along  this  road,  but  I  began  to  think  that 
h  led  me  too  much  on  one  side.  Of  this  I  was  certain, 
when  coming  into  the  highway,  I  read  on  the  finger- 
post,* that  1  was  still  within  three  verstes  of  the  spot 
where  I  had  left  my  travelling  companions. 

I  had  yet  nearly  three  German  miles  to  walk  before  I 
could  reach  Kokenhusen ;  a  dreadful  distance  for  a  man 

*  All  over  Russia  posts  are  erected,  which  from  verste  to 
verstc  isidicare  the  dismnce  of  the  adjacent  town*. 


55 


in  my  situation.  I  first  approached  the  Duna,  and  scooped 
some  water  in  the  brim  of  my  hat  to  slake  the  burning 
thirst  under  which  1  laboured,' and  I  quickly  felt  the  bad 
effects  of  this  in  a  violent  fit  of  the  cholic.  My  throat 
likewise  was  so  mucli  parched  and  swelled,  that  I  could 
scarcely  swallow.  Hoping,  however,  that  exercise  would 
mitigate  my  pain,  I  began  to  proceed  forwards,  though 
the  road  was  still  frequented  by  passengers.  At  one 
time  I  was  obliged  to  slip  suddenly  behind  a  hedge  to 
screen  myself  from  an  unlucky  rencounter ;  at  another 
to  take  a  circuitous  way  to  avoid  a  noisy  public  house. 
Sometimes  a  watch-dog  would  bark  at  a  distance,  and  I 
was  under  the  necessity  of  evading  his  pursuit  as  quickly 
as  possible ;  for  should  he  not  be  satisfied  with  merely 
barking  orJfewling  at  me,  I  had  nothing  to  defend  my- 
self with,  except  a  small  pair  of  scissars.  At  length  I 
thought  to  avoid  all  these  accidents  by  stealing  along  the 
banks  of  the  Duna,  but  I  found  the  river  full  of  ,fafts, 
with  fires  burning  and  men  walking  backwards  and  for- 
wards upon  them.  It  was  then  expedient  to  change  my 
course,  sometimes  following  tlie  river,  at  others  crossing 
the  underwood,  or  regaining  the  high  road,  as  occasion 
served.  It  was  by  straggling  along  in  this  manner  that 
I  at  last  arrived  at  Stockmannshof,  at  eleven  o^cIock  at 
night. 

The  castle  inhabited  by  Chamberlain  de  Beyer  is  situ- 
ated on  a  hill ;  a  garden  rising  in  terraces  extends  to  tlie 
public  road,  and  is  terminated  by  an  iron  gate. 

I  observed  several  lights  still  burning  in  the  castle, 
but  they  began  gradually  to  disappear,  and  shortly  none 
were  visible,  except  in  the  lower  story.  I  put  my  finger 
upon  the  latch  of  the  gate  and  found  it  was  not  locked. 
I  then  began  to  reflect  on  what  was  to  be  done.  I  could 
not  reach  Kokenhusen,  for  I  already  staggered  like  a  man 
in  liquor,  and  was  too  much  exhausted  to  walk  any  fur- 
tlier.  My  cholic  too  still  continued  to  torment  me,  and 
my  throat  became  more  parched  than  ever.  I  entered 
the  garden,  therefore,  determined  to  proceed  to  the 
house :  a  figure  in  white  stood  at  some  little  distance  be- 
fore me.    How  fortunate,  said  I  to  myself,  should  this 


56 


prove  to  be  a  female !  Women  are  compassionate  cr( 
tures;  ever  ready  to  pity  and  sooth  distress  of  every  de 
cription  :  I  will  approach  her.  I  proceeded,  and  di 
covered  that  it  was  merely  a  statue  of  Neptune  place 
in  the  centre  of  a  small  pond. 

I  was  now  as  much  embarrassed  as  ever,  and  the  rt 
flections  I  had  made  in  the  wood  came  again  into  ml 
mind ;  I  hastily  left  this  spot  and  continued  my  routi 
My  mind  supported  my  body  for  a  considerable  timi 
but  having  proceeded  about  half  a  verste,  the  wants 
tlie  latter  prevailed.  Worn  out  with  hunger,  fatigue, 
and  pain,  I  sunk  down  upon  the  sand,  a  victim  of  the 
most  gloomy  despair.  I  am  compelled  to  confess,  that 
at  this  moment  the  idea  of  suicide,  for  the  first  time  in  my 
life,  suggested  itself,  and  if,  instead  of  theibinall  pair  of 
scissars,  I  had  then  possessed  a  dagger  I  commonly  tra- 
vel with,  I  should  certainly  have  used  it  to  put  an  end 
to  my  existence.  Happily,  however,  I  had  left  it  at 
Mit^u  with  my  wife  ;  for  as^l^magined  that  I  was  only  , 
going  to  Petersburg,  I  did  not  like  to  iiave  it  about  me. 
This  weapon,  which  I  only  carried  Tor  the  purpose  of 
defence,  in  case  of  being  attacked  by  a  malicious  dog,  in 
any  of  my  accustomed  walks,  might  have  had  a  suspicious 
appearance  there.  It  was  out  of  precaution,  therefore, 
that  I  left  it  with  my  wife,  and  I  shall  ever  bless  that 
act  of  prudence :  "  For  a  wise  man,"  says  Seneca,  "  ought 
not  to  hasten  the  day  of  bis  death,  however  strongly  he 
may  be  impelled:  he  should  retire,  and  not  run  away." 

How  often  does  our  fate  depend  on  trifles !  If  I  had 
taken  the  bread  which  lay  on  the  table  with  me,  the  morn- 
ing of  my  escape  from  the  inn,  that  alone  would  have 
supported  nature,  and  I  could  have  persevered  in  my 
plan.    I  had  now  only  two  expedients  to  adopt ;  either 
to  remain  at  Stockmannshof,  or  return  to  the  woods  and 
remain  there  till  next  evening.    The  latter  seemed  by  . 
no  means  adviseable,  as  my  strength  could  not  hold  out  ; 
during  another  day  without  nourishment.    I  determined,  : 
therefore,  upon  going  back  to  the  castle,  and  according-,^ 
ly,  after  resting  myself  a  little,  I  returned  to  the  gard|^l  " 


'J'Jic  lights  in  the  lower  story  remained  as  before.  I 
crossed  the  gardeji  and  came  to  a  second  gate,  which 
opened  to  a  passage  between  tiie  house  and  the  terraces. 
1  passed  through  it,  for  it  was  unlocked,  and  I  found 
myself  within  three  paces  of  the  steps  of  the  castle.  I 
ascended  them,  a  light  shone  through  the  window,  and 
I  perceived  three  young  ciiambermalds  making  tlieir 
beds.  I  stretched  Ibrth  my  hand  several  times  to  tap  at 
the  window,  and  as  often  drew  it  back;  but  overcome 
by  the  urgency  of  my  situation,  I  at  length  knocked. 

One  of  the  young  women  came  out  with  a  light  in 
her  hand,  and  asked  me  what  I  wanted.  I  entreated 
her  in  a  hoarse  voice  to  give  me  a  morsel  of  bread.  She 
looked  at  me  with  great  surprize;  she  was  a  handsome 
girl,  and  her  countenance  bespoke  much  goodness  of 
heart ;  but  my  ^^^Bj^t  and  indeed  my  whole  appearance, 
caused  her  to  |flBea^ittle  at  my  request.  It  is  too 
late,"  said  she,  "  our  master  is  gone  to  bed,  and  s6  are 
the  servants."  "  Pity  me,  my  lovely  girl,"  I  rejoined, 
"  I  have  eat  nothing  t|ie  whole  day ;  for  heaven's  sake 
pity  me."  "  My  God !"  said  shej  "  in  the  forest,  and 
during  such  weather !  Plow  happened  this  r"  She  still 
kept  looking  at  me  from  head  to  foot,  and  drew  back  a 
little.  I  guessed  her  thoughts:  "  Do  not  be  afraid,  my 
dear  pretty  young  woman;  I  am  no  thief,  nor  even  a 
common  beggar  (I  then  showed  her  my  purse,  and  my 
gold  V.  atch-chain.)  J  have  money  enough,  but  my  case 
is  much  to  be  pitied.  My  dear  girl,  I  beg  you'll  tell 
me,  if  I  can  speak  a  word  with  the  chamberlain." 

''  The  chamberlain  is  asleep." 

"  Where  is  M.  de  Lowenstem?" 

•'  He  is  at  Kokenhusen,  and  returns  to-morrow." 

"  And  Madame  de  Lowenstern  and  the  children?" 

' '  They  are  above." 
'  And  Mademoiselle  de  Plater  r" 
•  She  is  with  them." 

This  Mademoiselle  de  Plater  was  a  your^g  and  very 
amiable  person,  a  friend  of  the  family,  whom  I  had  seen 
hi  Saxony.    "  Cannot  you  awake  her  ?" 

"  I  dare  not." 


5S 


As  I  pressed  her  \vith  great  earnestncs';,  she  at  long 
advised  nie  to  go  to  tlie  secretary's  apartment,  iaiid  w 
there  till  morning.  During  this  conversation,  I  h 
drawn  her  by  degrees  into  her  own  room,  aild  the  u 
gency  of"  my  situation  having  overcome  all  thought 
ceremony,  1  (irmly  declared  that  I  would  not  stir  fro 
thence,  but  was  determined  to  throw  myself  upon  the  so 
before  me.  This  declaration  embarrassed  the  you 
woman  very  much. 

fleaven  knows  how  this  scene  would  have  ended, 
had  not  the  Chamberlain  and  his  lady,  who  slept  near  at 
Jiand.  been  awakened  by  tlie^iioise  which  we  made, 
Madame  de  Beyer  rung  for  her  maid ;  I  gave  her  the 
billet  1  had  scrawled  in  the  wood,  and  entreated  her  to 
deliver  it  to  her  master,  and  then,  trembling  with  anxie- 
ty for  the  result,  I  threw  myself  oig|^sofa. 

The  girl  returned;  she  requ^te^ro  to  wait  a  little; 
that  I  should  soon  have  sonue  refreshment,  and  that  her 
master  was  himself  com.ing  to  me.  I  then  remained  a 
few  moments  alone;  moments  i\gtio  he  measured  by  the 
common  mode  of  calculating  time! 

The  Chamberlain  arrived:  He  was  a  man  advanced 
in  years,  and  kindness  was  imprinted  on  his  countenance. 
He  appeared  to  be  under  some  embarrassment;  but  at 
this  moment  how  great  was  my  own.  I  spoke  with 
hesitation,  and  expressed  myself  in  the  most  incoherent 
manner;  but  my  note  had  given  him  suiTicient  informa- 
tion. He  begged  I  would  make  myseW  perfectly  easy, 
that  I  would  first  think  about  taking  some  nourishment, 
and  that  he  would  then  see  wliat  could  be  done  for  me. 
Madame  de  Beyer  now  appeared.  I  recognized  the 
features  of  her  amiable  daughter,  and  took  courage.  I 
related  in  a  few  words  my  extraordinary  adventures.  She 
appeared  affected,  but  1  could  still  perceive,  that  neither 
stie  nor  the  Chamberlain  were  satisfied  that  I  was  per- 
fectly innocent.  And  how,  indeed,  could  intelligent 
people  like  them,  habituated  to  the  regular  order  o|Lya|| 
Jaws,  believe  that  such  official  proceedings  coul^M^I 
taken  place  without  very  serious  reasons?  '^^1 


59 


j     f  11  the  mean  time  several  dishes  v^ere  set  before  mc. 

I  AHer  a  slight  refreshment  I  touched  upon  the  essential 

\  object  of  my  visit,  and  solicited  protection  and  succour. 
I  begged  the  Chamberlain  Avould  conceal  me  at  one  of 
his  country  seats.  At  this  ppopo^l  I  could  perceive  that 
M.  de  Beyer  struggled  with  his  feelings,  and  that  the 
contest  was  about  to  terminate  in  my  favour.  Hope  al- 
ready sparkled  in  the  eyes  of  his  lady,  when  a  man  en- 

I  tered  the  room,  of  whom,  even  at  this  momicnt,  I  can- 
not think  w  ithout  an  involuntary  emotion  of  aversion  and 
disgust. 

t  Sir,'*  said  the  Chamberlain,  you  here  see  a  good 
'  friend  of  mine,  M.  Prostenius,"^  of  Riga."  We  saluted 
each  other:  he  pretended  to  have  seen  me  before;  but  I 
had  not  the  least  recollection  of  his  person.  He  was  a 
well-looking  maii^fapleasing  and  insinuating  counte- 
nance, and  his  was  extremely  polite.  He 
was  one  of  that  fecriptlompf  people,  who  can  say  uri- 
gracious  and  e\  en  rude  t^ngs  with  the  same  tone  of 
voice,  and  with  as  much  c^.se  as  usually  accompany  the 
communication  of  the  mosi  agreeable  mtelligen.ee.  From 
him  I  learnt,  that  the  Counsellor  had  been  at  the  castle, 
that  he  had  dined  there,  had  betrayed  great  uneasiness 
of  mirid,  alarmed  the  whole  tillage,  and  had  dispatched 
people  to  pursue  me;  and  that,  after  taking  these  mica- 
sures,  he  had  set  off  for  Riga,  at  which  place  he  proba- 
bly still  remained.  M.  Prostenius  took  upon  himself  to 
assert,  that  my  plan  was  impracticable,  even  before  he 
had  heard  tlie  whole  of  it;  adding,  that  it  would  expose 
them  all  to  danger,  and  that  it  was  impossible  to  serve 
me.  But  you  have  gained  time,"  continued  he,  by 
your  flight;  you  will  be  conducted  to  Riga;  the  Gover- 
nor, who  is  a  stranger  to  the  business,  must  report  your 
conduct;  and  before  any  answer  can  arrive,  some  changes 
may  take  place."  I  replied,  "  that  from  the  manner 
in  which  I  had  been  already  treated,  I  could  not  expect 
a.'.\  thing  in  my  favour."    Th$  Chamberlain,  v/ho  had 

was  not  his  name,  as  I  have  since  leai-nt;  but  why 

-It  :-.  .  .V,  at  all  > 


\ 

\ 


60 


been  prevented  iVom  speaking  by  M.  Prostenius,  a 
whose  opinions  the  latter  had  in  a  great  measure  in 9 
enced,  now  told  me,  by  way  of  consolation,  that  I  mig 
write  from  hence  to  tl^  Emperor.  "  May  I,"  exclai 
ed  I.-—**  Certainly  ;  and  I  will  send  the  letter  throu 
the  hands  of  General  de  Rehbinder,  who  at  this  mome 
is  Cofumandant  at  Petersburg." 

I  thanked  him  for  all  his  goodness.  The  amiab 
Prostenius  would  fain  have  made  a  reply  for  him ;  he  r 
mained  however  silent. 

M.  Prostenius  was  now  pleased  to  ask  me,  "  Why 
feared  a  journey  to  Tobolsk 

I  eyed  him,  and  smiled:  "  Why  do  I  fear  it!" 
''Yes:"  said  he,  "  many  worthy  people  are  sentthith 
You  will  never  be  in  want  of  good  company." — "  }A 
company.  Sir,  is  my  family."  ^^-g(M^^ 

In  what  manner  are  youaflWST^Pre ?" — I  have  a 
Senate-courier  and  an  Aulic-counsellor  with  me." 

*'  And  no  guards — no  soldiers  ?" 

"  No :  no  guards." 

"  Well,  then,  what  can  be  more  honourable?"  And  as 
he  did  not  perceive  that  I  was  at  all  elated  with  these 
marks  of  honour,  he  added  :  "  Come,  come.  Sir,  you 
must  submit  with  a  good  gmce  ;  you  are  a  philosopher." 

"  I  am  a  husband  and  a -father,"  said  I.  The  little 
man  then  simpered  :  a  tear  glistened  in  the  eye  of  Ma- 
dame de  Beyer.  The  Chamberlain  observed  that  the 
hour  was  very  late:  Retire  to  rest,"  said  he,  and 
gain  strength  to  set  of?' to-morrow  for  Riga." 

I  know  not  why  this  expected  jouriK^y  to  Riga  gavo 
me  no  pain.  Waslt  because  it  brought  me  nearer  to  my 
wife  and  children?  For,  in  fact,  it  was  the  same  thing 
whether  I  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Counsellor  at  Riga, 
or  any  where  else. 

in  the  C(9w;wo72,"  continued  the  Chamberlain,  you 
will  find  a  bed;  go  and  take  some  rest."    In  this  coun- 
try (hey  give  that  name  to  a  pavilion  detached  from  t! 
house,  which  is  occupied  by  the  preceptor,  the  secreta 
ry,and  others  of  that  class;  and  it  is  likewise  funushtd 
with  beds  for  the  reception  of  Strangers. 


61 


As  I  was  leaving  the  casde  to  go  to  the  common,  five 
or  six  peasants  suddenly  appeared  and  accoi^panied  rue 
thither.  I  imagined  mere  curiosity  had  brouglit  thefti  to- 
gether, not  conceiving  that  the  influence  ol"M.  Proste- 
nius  could  have  induced  a  worthy  gentleman  to  have 
converted  an  apartment,  hitherto  sacred  to  hospitality, 
into  a  state  prison. 

On  entering  the  room  I  found  several  people  in  bed, 
some  of  whom  were  asleep.  I  took  no  notice  of  them  ; 
but  I  observed  the  ])eople  on  the  outside  were  closing 
the  shutters.  This,  as  I  supposed,  was  a  common  cus- 
tom ;  but,  -as  I  do  not  like  to  be  thus  enclosed  v\'hen  I 
sleep,  I  begged  that  they  might  be  left  open.  My  re- 
quest was  not  listened  to:  perhaps  they  were  determined 
that  I  should  not  make  a  second  escape. 

Shall  I  here  declare  my  sentiments?  I  affirm,  upon 
my  honour,  that  no  idea  of  another  flight  entered  my 
head.  I  likewise  declare,  in  the  same  solemn  manner, 
that  had  I  been  in  M.  de  Bayer's  place,  and,  like  him, 
performing  the  duties  of  a  good  subject,  I  should  nor. 
have  carried  my  precautions  so  far.  Admitting  that  the 
Counsellor  could  have  referred  to  superior  orders,  which 
obliged  every  one  to  secure  my  person  wherever  I  should 
be  found  (which  I  doubt  having  been  the  case,*  as  he 
had  only  a  post-billet  about  him,  in  W'hich  my  name 
was  not  inserted)  it  would  have  been  sufficient  to  have 
placed  two  centineis  upon  me  ;  one  at  the  door,  and  an- 
other at  the  window;  Had  I  even  succeeded  in  eluding; 
or  bribing  my  guards,  M.  de  Bayer  would  not  nave  been 
any  way  responsible ;  he  could  not  hav^e  been  required 
fo  be  provided  with  chains  and  bolts  for  the  purpose  of  se- 
curing state  prisoners.  Ah !  Prostenius,  Prostenius ! 
most  assuredly  this  was  thy  work  ;  thou  wouldst  fain  have 
made  my  chamber  as  gloomy  as  was  thy  merciless  heart. 
*The  extreme  fatigue  under  which  I  laboured  soon  tlirew 
me  into  a  slumber,  which,  though  broken,  lasted  at  inter- 
vals till  five  o'clock. 

*  He  had  shown  a  sufEcIent  authority. 


F 


When  I  awoke,  my  first  care  wa'i  to  write  to  the  Emm 
pcror.  I  dressed  myself  and  sat  down  to  a  table,  on  which 
I  found  al#that  was  necessary  for  that  purpose,  and  I 
penned,  with  great  rapidity,  what  my  heart,  my  inno- 
cence, and  "my  indignation  dictated.  Breakfast  was 
brought  in ;  my  fellow-lodgers  had  already  risen  unobserv- 
ed by  me.  Having  finished  my  letter  to  the  Emperor,  I 
wrote  another  to  Count  de  Pahlen,  the  Emperor's  fa- 
vofcrite,  a  third  to  Count  de  Cobenzel,  and  a  fourth  to 
my  dear  wife.  I  had  begun  a  fifth,  when  the  gentle  M. 
Prostenius  came  into  the  room,  and  in  a  soft  tone  of 
voice  informed  me,  that  the  measures  suggested  the  pre- 
ceding night  could  not  be  put  in  practice,  as  the  Coun- 
sellor himself  had  just  made  his  appearance  at  the  castle. 

"  I  am  then  to  be  given  up,"  said  I.  He  answered 
with  a  shrug  of  his  shoulders,  What  can  be  done? 
Even  the  letter  to  the  Emperor  cannot  now  be  sent  to 
General  de  Rehbinder;  when  M.  de  Bayer  shall  have 
reflected  on  this,  he  will  be  convinced  it  is  impracticable.'* 
"  He  promised  me  without  solicitation,  and  repeated 
that  promise  several  times."  He  would  bring  himself 
into  trouble;  and  tlierefbre  that  letter  jnust  be  sent  to  the 
Governor  of  Riga." 

"  And  the  others!" 

*'  That  to  your  lady  must  likewise  pass  through  his 
hands.  As  to  the  rest,  I  would  advise  you  to  leave 
them  where  they  are."  On  saying  this,  he  took  up  the 
letters  I  had  written  to  the  Emperor  and  my  wife.  What 
became  of  them  I  am  still  unable  to  say.  I  suppose  they 
have  been  delivered ;  but  such  is  the  servile  fear  which 
now  takes  possession  of  the  heart  of  every  man  in  offibcv 
that  I  should  not  be  at  all  surprised  to  find  they  werin 
suppressed.*  Perhaps  their  suppression  may  prove 
fortunate  circumstance  ;  and  the  hard-hearted  M.  Pro 
tenius  may  have  done  me  a  service.  The  letter /o  the 
Emperor  was  written  with  too  much  vehemence.  I  ir>- 
sisted  much  on  my  rights;  on  the  Imperial  passport ;  .  \d 

*  It  wH)  be  seen  in  the  sequel  in  vvhat  a  noble  manner  tbe 
governor  of  Ri2:a  acted  on  this  occasion. 


63 


cn  my  innocence.    The  perusal  of- it  must  have  renclcr- 
I  ed  the  Emperor  dissatisfied  with  himself,  and  all  his  dis- 
|,  pleasure  would  have  fallen  upon  me.  Besides,  he  would 
i  have  heard  of  my  escape,  which  he  must  have  consider- 
ed as  rebellion  against  his  commands,  and  as  an  act  high- 
ly deserving  of  punishment.    Part  of  my  letter  ran  thui'.: 
"  The  Governor  of  Courland  informed  me,  in  the 
name  of  your  Majesty,  that  I  was  going  to  Petersburg, 
yet  I  discovered  that  a  certain  person  was  conducting 
me  to  Siberia:  I  did  not  know  this  person,  and  he  show- 
ed me  no  order  on  the  part  of  your  Majesty.    Which  of 
the  two  am  I  to  believe?  The  Governor  or  this  man?" 

In  a  word,  the  affair  was  intricate  and  obscure,  and 
my  application  could  certainly  have  produced  no  good 
effect;  it  would  rather  have  exasperated  the  Emperor, 
and  I  have  more  than  once  wished  that  I  had  never 
written  the  letter.  It  was  the  same  with  regard  to  the 
lines  I  intended  for  my  wife :  I  had  described  my  situa- 
tion in  the  woods,  and  had  spoken  of  my  situation  as  a 
thing  v/hich  I  considered  would  last  for  life.  This  im- 
prudent letter  might  have  been  of  fatal  consequence  to 
.  her,  had  she  received  it  without  due  preparation.  Once 
more  I  thank  the  spruce  little  man ;  he  has  perhaps, 
without  knowing  it,  been  the  means  of  preserving  the 
dearest  object  I  have  in  the  whole  world. 

My  letters  to  Count  de  Pahlen  and  Count  de  Coben- 
zel  remained  in  my  possession. 

Soon  after  I  found  myself  alone  for  a  moment  with  a 
■young  man  who  had  slept  in  the  same  room  with  me, 
and  in  whose  countenance  I  could  read  benevolence  and 
t?ompassion.    "  If,''  said  I  to  him,     you  have  a  feeling 
.  heart5  send  off  these  letters.''    He  hesitated,  and  ap- 
peared somewhat  alarmed.       They  are  open/' continu- 
•  '  I ;  "  peruse  their  harmless  contents,  and  seat  thera 
irself."  This  he  promised  to  do  as  soon  as  the  preseiit 
:    -nil t  should  be  subsided.    Has  he  kept  his  word?  I 
].:.uw  not.    Have  my  letters  produced  any  effect?  Of 
tliat  too  I  am  ignofarit>^^v!ng  hearJ  nothing  on  the 

*  j'iiese  circumstances  will  be  cleared  up  in  the  sequel. 


6t 


A  youth  of  about  eighteen  or  twenty  years  of  ag 
now  came  into  the  room,  and  I  took  him  for  voun 
De  Lovvenstern.     Be  hastily  removed  ail  the  writin 
implements,  as  lie  said  the  Counsellor  was  that  in 
staut  approaching  the  room.    He  politely  asked  me 
I  stood  in  need  of  any  thing  lor  my  journey  ;  an 
T  availed  myself  of  his  obliging  offer  so  far  as  to  reques 
a  little  cream  of  tartar.    1  now  beheld  my  charrain 
companions  again !    The  CounseDor  saluted  me  wit 
his  accustomed  wrinkles,  but  did  not  utter  a  single  wor 
of  reproach.    I  told  him,  in  the  best  manner  1  could, 
that  he  must  pardon  my  conduct,  as  I  had  naturally  been 
inclined  to  believe  the  Governor  of  Courland  rather 
than  him.    He  appeared  satisfied  with  my  apologies, 
and  threw  all  the  blame  on  the  ill-timed  humanity  of  the 
former.    I  saw  him  distribute  a  hundred  roubles  among 
the  peasants  who  had  mounted  guard  over  me,  and  1 
took  that  opportunity  to  observe,  that  if  he  imagined  those 
boors  had  taken  me,  he  v/as  much  mistaken,  for  that  I 
tiad  cCrfiC  ?".d  surrendered  myself  here  of  my  own  accord. 
He  did  not  condescend  to  make  me  any  answer,  but, 
Iieaving  a  deep  sigh,  continued  to  distribute  the  roubles. 
He  then  went  out  to  hasten  the  preparation  for  our  de- 
parture, upon  which  the  young  woman  who  admitted 
me  into  the  castle  the  preceding  night,  came  into  the 
room,  and,  advancing  in  a  timid  manner,  whispered 
one  of  the  persons  present ;  and  wdicn  all  had  retired, 
she  took  the  advantage  of  their  absence  to  present  me 
with  a  small  hnen  purse,  to  which  some  pieces  of  tape 
were  sewed.    "  This  contains  a  hundred  roubles  (said 
she)  which  my  mistress  has  sent  you,  Sir ;  *  you  ^yill 
«tand  in  need  of  them,  for  I  know'your  money  will  im- 
mediately be  taken  from  you:  fasten  it  cjuickly  about 
vour  waist.^'    She  then  turned  away. 

I  did  not  rightly  understand  her  meaning :  however 
I  concealed  the  pur;>e  as  I  had  been  directed  ;  and  scarce- 
ly had  I  done  so,  when  the  Counsellor  came  into  th'- 
room. 


*  T  ihen  believed  it  came  from  Madame  de  Bayer. 


65 


Noble  woman,  whom  my  misfortunes  had  thus  afTcct- 
cd !  I  still  preserve  this  purse  unviolated ;  it  is  a  sweet  re- 
membrancer of  your  humanity  !  Whenever  I  look  at  it^ 
tears  rush  into  my  eyes.  With  a  mingled  sensation  of  plea- 
sure and  pain,  I  recollect,  that  in  the  mostafflictingmoment 
of  my  life,  a  feeling  heart  participated  in  my  sorrow.  Ex- 
treme indeed  must  be  the  distress  that  compels  me  to 
open  this  sacred  purse.  I  have  several  times  been  redu- 
ced to  great  want  since  I  received  it,  have  denied  my- 
self many  things  that  would  have  been  of  much  use  to  me, 
because  I  never  could  prevail  on  myself  to  touch  this  hal- 
lowed store :  it  is  a  relic,  the  benediction  of  a  good 
woman  accompanies  it,  and  I  do  not  renounce  the  hope 
of  one  day  being  able  to  return  it  into  her  hands,  which 
I  will  bathe  with  tears  of  gratitude. 

The  moment  of  separation  being  arrived,  young  de 
Lovvenstern  brought  me  some  cream  of  tartar,  a  bed- 
gown lined  with  fur,  a  cloth  mantle  with  large  sleeves, 
two  cotton  night-caps,  a  pair  of  boots,  and  several  other 
things.  I  embraced  him,  and  requested  him  to  inform 
my  wife  of  my  situation.  He  solemnly  promised  me  to 
do  so,  and  the  tears  which  ran  down  his  cheek,  are  my 
vouchers  that  he  has  kept  his  word.  He  then,  with  all 
that  keen  sensibility,  all  that  candour  which  characterizes 
the  early  stage  of  life,  and  with  all  the  illusive  confidence 
which  it  inspires,  took  the  Counsellor  by  the  hand,  and 
entreated  him  to  take  care  of  my  health,  and  to  overlook 
my  fault.  The  Counsellor  replied  with  tlil^  same  cold 
politeness  which  he  had  before  shown  to  my  wife.  The* 
chambermaid  stood  at  tlie  w  indow  and  wept.  Proste- 
nius  had  finished  his  task,  and  was  no  longer  visible,  at 
least  I  did  not  observe  him ;  nor  did  I  again  see  either 
the  master  or  mistress  of  the  house.  We  repaired  to  an 
open  cart  which  stood  before  the  inn,  for  my  carriage 
had  been  left  at  the  post-house.  I  was  put  into  the  cart, 
with  all  my  things,  exposed  to  the  observation  of  the 
multitude,  and  to  the  pity  of  a  few.  The  Counsellor 
placed  himself  at  my  side,  the  Courier  behind  me,  and 
in  an  hour  after  we  alighted  at  the  inn  where  we  had 
slept. 

F  2 


66 


TIius  ternunated  the  unfortunate  attempt  to  make  ni 
escape,  which  certainly  was  far  from  being  a  blameab 
measure,  in  whatever  point  of  view  it  may  be  considered 
While  1  imagined  I  was  travelling  to  Petersburg,  to  uii 
dergo  an  examination  there,  it  w^as  a  duty  I  owed  mv 
self  to  submit,  and  had  I  in  such  ease  attempted  to  e 
cape,  my  innocence  would  have  been  justly  suspecte 
The  existing  state  of  affairs  justified  the  Emperor  in  em 
ploying  all  possible  means  of  precaution  to  prevent  civ 
disorders,  and  I  respect  the  rights  of  Sovereigns.  A 
soon,  however,  as  I  was  convinced  that  neither  paper 
nor  iimocence  w^cre  to  be  taken  into  consideration,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  that  the  most  severe  treatment  would 
precede  my  examination,  what  law,  human  or  divine, 
required  that  I  should  remain  a  prisoner? 

The  corpulent  mistress  of  the  po^t-house  felt  great  de- 
light at  seeing  me  re-taken  :  she  told  the  Counsellor,  that 
she  expected  every  moment  a  band  of  soldiers  she  had 
icnt  for  from  a  neighbouring  barrack,  and  advised  him, 
in  future,  to  be  provided  with  guards  wherever  w^e 
passed  the  night.  One  of  the  liorses  that  had  been  em- 
ployed in  the  pursuit  of  rne,  being  almost  dead  through 
tatigue,  rhe  immediately  perceived  it,  and,  venting  her 
ill-humour  upon  me,  loaded  me  w'ith  the  grossest  abuse. 
At  another  time  I  might  have  been  offended  at  this,  but 
i(  was  now  of  no  more  consequence  than  the  sting  of  a 
gnat  to  a  man  just  taken  off  the  rack?.  I  answered  her 
with  a  sneering  smile,  which  threw  her  into  a  still  greater 
•passion,  and  I  really  believe  that,  when  she  had  exhaust- 
ed all  her  abusive  epithets,  she  would  have  gratified  her 
anger  by  beating  me,  had  not  the  Counsellor  interposed. 
This  noise,  however,  drew  many  people  to  the  spot, 
and  at  least  thirty  gaping  boors  filled  the  room  with  their 
nauseous  odour.  The  Counsellor  drove  them  all  dut, 
und  desired  the  mistress  of  the  house  to  leave  him  alone 
with  me.  I  yvas  rather  confounded,  though  no  longer 
alarmed,  yet  I  soon  began  to  feel  that  resolution,  which 
despair  is  apt  to  inspire. 

When  we  were  alone,  the  Counsellor  politely  said  to 
me-—''  You  must  not  take  it  amiss.  Sir,  that  I  shall  now 


67 


have  recourse  to  more  severe  measures/'    The  idea  of 
fetters  instantly  came  into  my  head  ;  and,  growing  quite 
wild  with  anguish,  I  laid  hold  of  my  scissars,  with  tiie 
design  of  putting  an  end  to  my  life  :  but  he  quickly  ex- 
plained.   I  had,  as  has  been  already  mentioned,  a  little 
box  stored  with  several  useiul  things ;  he  requested  the 
I  key  of  this  box,  in  order  to  deposit  in  it  the  money  I 
i  had  about  me,  promising,  at  the  same  time,  to  supply 
i  me  out  of  it  as  often  as  I  should  have  occasion. 

Finding  this  was  all  he  required,  I  submitted  without 
saying  a  word.  I  had  been  already  accustomed  to  turn 
my  pockets  inside  out ;  and  whatever  they  now  con- 
tained, keys,  money,  scissars,  pencils,  scraps  of  paper, 
and  even  my  watch,  I  delivered  up,  with  a  very  good 
grace.  The  Counsellor  himself  condescended  to  search 
my  pockets  with  his  own  hands,  to  see  if  I  had  really 
given  every  thing  up,  and  he  then  locked  the  box. 

The  open  carriage  was  changed  for  my  own,  and  we 
immediately  departed.  I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe 
the  state  of  my  mind  as  we  drove  along.  Let  it  suffice 
to  observe,  tliat  I  could  neither  eat  nor  sleep,  and  if  I 
did  not  entirely  lose  my  senses,  it  is  solely  attributable? 
to  the  jolting  of  the  vehicle.  Every  time  we  stopped 
to  change  hor;'es,  my  head  grew  giddy;  I  was  .anxious 
to  get  on  again,  and  delighted  when  we  came  to  a  hard 
or  uneven  road,  or  a  paved  causeway.  During  the  first 
two  days  of  the  route,  I  did  not  utter  half  a  dozen  words. 
Whenever  any  thing  was  offered  tome,  No!"  was 
my  answer.  With  wild  and  fixed  eyes  I  looked  at  the 
country  before  me,  without  seeing  it.  Wind  or  rain, 
he;&,t  or  cold,  were  alike  unfelt  by  me,  and  I  was  driven 
to  such  a  state  of  distraction,  that  I  could  no  longer  get 
in  and  out  of  the  carriage  without  assistance.  If  by. 
chanfce  I  met  with  a  looking-glass,  the  sight  of  my  hag- 
gard countenance  made  me  start  backwards.* 

*  I  must  here  relate  an  anecdote.  At  the  first  diniier-hQur 
after  my  having  been.re-taken,  we  arrived  at  a  small  town,  the 
name  of  which  I  do  not  remember,  but  I  only  know  it  belong-ed 
to  a  certain  Staroste  de  Korf,  who  inhabited  an  antique  castle 


68 


The  Counsellor  seemed  to  be  concerned  at  my  sltU' 
atlon.    With  him,  however,  it  was  no  affair  or  com 
passion,  but  only  the  apprehension  of  not  being  able  tJ 
execute  his  honourable  commission  to  its  full  extent,  whicl 
probably  would  have  been  considered  as  a  crime.  Tl^ 
exerted  himself  to  pacify  me;  both  he  and  the  Couri< 
re})resented  Tobolsk  as  the  finest  city  in  the  universe 
and  the  manner  of  living  there  as  very  gay  and  agreeable 
The  strongest  recommendation  of  Tobolsk,  in  theopinic 
of  the  Courier,  was  the  goodness  and  low  price  of  pr< 
visions  of  all  kinds.    "  What  fish      said  he,    what  fish] 
for  ten  kopeks  you  may  buy  the  finest  esterlcts,  for  whi< 
the  danity  people  of  Petersburg  would  be  glad  to  paj 
ten  roubles;  and  the  ceterinos,  wliat  cetfvinos !  Meat, 
bread,  brandy,  all  to  be  had  in  the  greatest  plenty  V  To 
this  the  Counsellor  added  some  particulars,  which  to  me 
were  far  mpre  interesting.       The  moment  you  arrive 
there,"  said  he,  "  you  will  be  free,  perfectly  free;  you 
may  run  about,  you  m.ay  go  where  you  please  ;  you  may 
hunt,  shoot,  ramble  over  the  country,  and  make  your 
own  acquaintances.    You  ^x\\\  be  allowed  to  write  to 
the  Emperor,  to  your  lady,  to  your  friends;  you  may 
have  servants,  and  whatever  will  afford  you  pleasure  : 
in  a  word,  you  may  live  according  to  your  fancy.  At 


there.  Though  we  did  not  chang^e  horses,  yet  we  stopped  in 
the  castle-yard.  He  came  down  and  pressed  the  Counsellor  to 
stay  and  do  him  the  favour  to  dine  with  him,  ordered  the  Courier 
to  be  taken  good  care  of,  but  said  not  a  word  to  me,  nor  sent 
me  any  thing  to  cat  or  drink.  He  had  taken  care,  however, 
that  I  should  be  well  guarded,  for  he  had  ordered  the  gates  to 
be  shut,  and  a  crowd  of  people  to  be  stationed  round  my  car- 
riage, who  kept-staring  me  in  the  face  and  sneering  at  my  situ- 
ation. In  this  manner  I  remained  the  object  of  their  imperti- 
nence for  a  whole  hour.  Afterwards  the  Storaste  re-concRjcted 
his  well-replenished  guests  to  the  carriage.  In  spite  of  all  thi.? 
want  of  decency  with  regard  to  me,  the  extreme  thirst  I  suf- 
fered mastered  my  stubborn  heart;  I  asked  for  something  to 
drink,  and  a  glass  of  beer  was  brought  me  1  relate  this  anec- 
dote merely  because  I  have  since  heard  at  Riga,  that  M.  ce 
Korf  had  boasted  of  having  entertained  me  at  his  table,  and  of 
having  treated  me  in  general  with  the  most  polite  attenticr 


69 


Tobolsk,  too,  tliere  are  balk,  masquerades,  and  a  ;^ooc[ 
play-house."  At  the  word  play-house  I  siiiiled  in  "^pilc 
of  myself.  I  only  asked  him,  if  he  could  engage  that 
my  correspondence  would  not  be  stopped.  He  gave  me 
his  word  it  would  not,  and  this  assertion  revived  my 
hopes.  But,  said  I  to  myself,  the  Emperor,  who  send* 
me  to  Tobolsk,  might  likewise  choose  to  send  me  to  Ir- 
kutzk,  which  lies  three  thousand  verstes  beyond  it.  En- 
deavouring to  guess  at  the  real  motives  of  my  arrest,  I 
had  recollected  that  ten  years  ago,  while  I  w^as  printing 
Count  Benjowsky,  the  late  Empress  wrote  to  Revel,  to 
the  Governor  of  that  place,  and  charged  him  to  ask  me, 
"without  mentioning  that  it  was  her  Majesty^s  order,  what 
view  I  had  had  in  writing  that  play.  I  naturally  replied, 
that  the  history  of  Count  Benjowsky  had  struck  rpe  as  a 
fit  subject  for  the  drama;  and  that  it  had  even  been 
adopted  before  I  attempted  it  by  M.  Vulpius.  Nothing 
more  was  said  on  the  subject;  that  great  Princess,  as  if 
may  easily  be  imagined,  thought  no  more  of  tb€  matter. 

"The  Emperor,  thought  I,  offended  at  the  S:ubject  of 
this  piece,  is  perhaps  determined  to  inflict  the  sam.e  kind, 
of  punishment  on  me  as  I  have  described  in  the  c Else  of 
the  exile  :  should  it  b^  so,  I  shall  be  sent  to  Kamtschatka, 
which  lies  six  thousand  verstes  from  Irkutzk. 

The  Counsellor  swore  by  all  the  saints  that  he  w-ould 
allow  himself  to  be  called  the  greatest  rogue  in  the  uni- 
verse, if  he  was  taking  me  to  any  other  place  than  To- 
])olsk.  "  But,"  said  I,  how  do  yeu  know  this?  Your 
orders  are  sealed  up  ;  are  you  acquainted  with  their  con- 
tents?" Ele  gave  me  to  understand,  that  they  had  been 
transcribed  by  himself;  "  besides,"  added  he,  such  a 
journey  would  not  be  divided  into  two  parts:  had  you 
been  destined  lor  Irkutzk,  I  should  have  received  orders 
to  have  taken  you  there,  as  T  have  formerly  received  in 
the  case  of  several  exiles  ;  but  my  order  and  my  post- 
^'illet  mention  no  other  place  than  Tolx)Isk.  You  may 
>e  yourself  perfectly  easy  on  that  head.  You  may 
I  suppose  that  it  would  ill  become  the  dignity  of  the 
i>eror  to  parcel  out  his  orders  for  the  purpose  of  tor- 
ii;  luing  prisoners,  and  procuring  them  new  suiTerings,'* 


70 


The  reader  will  hereafter  see  what  confidence  I  oiig 
to  have  placed  In  the  Counsellor. 

But  what  calmed  my  mind  more  than  the  hopes  of  r 
maining  at  Tobolsk,  was  an  incident  the  Counsellor  no 
related.  "  A  year  ago,"  said  he,  "  I  was  conducting 
woman  this  way ;  we  had  already  arrived  near  Casa 
when  a  courier  overtook  us,  and  presented  me  with 
order  directing  me  to  return  with  her  immediately.  H 
case  had  been  re-examined,  and  other  information  h 
been  received,  by  which  she  was  found  to  have  be 
innocent."  Scarcely  had  the  Counsellor  related  this  a 
ecdote,  than  I  began  to  apply  the  adventure  of  the  wo- 
man to  my  own  situation. 

I,  then,  as  well  as  she,"  said  I,  may  be  found 
innocent." 

Of  that,"  replied  he,  "  there  can  be  no  doubt." 
And  what  did  the  woman  say  ?  What  became  of 
her  •" 

*'  She  was  very  happy,  as  you  may  well  think ;  she 
gave  me  her  gold  watch." 

This  event  struck  n-iy  imagination  very  forcibly^  and 
I  cannot  describe  with  what  magic  it  impressed  my  whole 
soul.  I  had  incessantly  the  image  of  this  woman  before 
my  eyes,  joining  her  hands  together,  and  lifting  them  up 
to  heaven,  shedding  tears  of  joy,  and  eagerly  taking- 
her  watch  from  her  side;  I  followed  her  carriage  as  it 
was  returning  back,  felt  what  she  must  feel  as  she  ap- 
proached her  home;  I  saw  her  discover  her  mansion, 
observed  her  children  looking  out  at  the  window ;  saw 
her  then  drive  up  to  the  door,  throw  herself  out  of  the 
Carriage,  and  faint  with  delight  in  their  arms.  Yes,  this 
coarse-minded  man  had,  without  being  a\N'are  of  it,  found 
out  the  true  remedy  for  my  affliction ;  it  was  the  balm 
that  was  best  ailapted  to  heal  the  deep  wounds  of  my 
soul. 

From  tlie  time  I  received  this  cheering  information. 
I  was  every  momenjt  expecting  the  arrival  of  a  courier 
As  soon  as  I  heard  the  bells*  sound  behind  us^  n 

*  In  Russia  tlie  post-horses  wear  bells  about  their  necks 


71 


I  heart  began  to  flatter  in  the  most  violent  manner.  My 
papers,  tiiought  I,  have  been  examined,  and  I  am 
I  found  innocent:  an  order  has  been  instantly  issued,  a 
courier  on  liprseback  has  been  dispatched  after  me,  and 
he  will  render  me  the  most  happy  of  men.    But  I  forgot, 
or  strove  to  forget,  that  my  papers  were  not  taken  at  all 
into  consideration  in  this  affair.    I  still  recurred  to  the 
idea  of  the  kind  courier  pushing  on  his  horse  to  overtake 
me ;  I  calculated  how  many  days  my  papers  must  be 
on  the  road,  how  long  a  time  their  examination  would 
I  require,  and  I  could  have  wished  to  have  slackened  our 
i  pace,  that  the  courier  might  the  sooner  overtake  us. 
Three  days  had  passed  since  we  left  the  castle  of 
Stockmannshof,and  I  now  strove  to  eat  for  the  first  time. 
Our  people  had  devoured  the  Bologna  sausage,  and 
drank  all  the  Dantzic  brandy  ;  they  had  even  swallowed 
the  bread,  the  butter,  and  the  cold  meat  which  M.  de 
Bayer  had  ordered  to  be  put  into  the  carriage.  I  wished 
for  some  wine  and  coffee;  we  wefe  not  able  to  procure 
either  the  one  or  the  other,  and  I  had  nothing  to  eat  but 
some.  eggs.    The  nights  were  verv  cold,  and  the  day  not 
warm,  on  account  of  a  piercing  4ind  that  was  continu- 
ally blowing..  I  was  desirous  to  lay  the  cloak  at  my 
feet,  which  had  been  lately  given  me ;  but  the  Courier 
iiad  taken  possession  of  it,  and  likewise  had  put  on  my 
boots.    I  forbore,  however,  to  claim  any  of  these  thing?, 
j  as  my  companions  made  use  of  what  belonged  to  me 
i  without  the  least  ceremony ;  and  when  they  had  once 
appropriated  it,  they  considered  it  as  a  lawful  prize. 
1  This  conduct  extended  even  to  my  purse  :  on  the  least 
;  thing  being  purchased  for  me,  or  any  repairs  being  made 
i  to  the  carriage,  I  produced  a  note  of  twenty -five  rou- 
■  blesj  it  was  changed,  and  it  was  not  common  to  return 
!  ine  the  overplus;  or  if  I  ever  obtained  any  thing  back^ 
it  was  only  a  part.    The  Counsellor  atla,stgrew  short  or 
money,  and  borrowed  of  me  without  ceremony.  Tak- 
.  ing  it  once  into  my  head  to  refuse  him,  his  whole  man- 
ner of  behaviour  became  so  much  altered,  that  1  was 
forced  at  length  to  yield.    I  paid  every  expense  on  the 
cad,  and  though  I  had  taken  nothing  but  bread, ,  niilk,. 


72 


and  eggs,  and  sometiinef^  a  little  roast  veal,  this  jour- 
ney cost  me  upwards  of  four  hundred  roubles,  v/ithout 
rec  konir^g  the  carriage.  I  paid  tor  every  thing ;  these 
fellows  bought  brandy  with  my  money,  and  never  gave 
any  thing  to  the  poor  peasants  in  return  for  the  provi- 
sions which  they  furnished  us;  an  e>itortion  of  which 
these  wretched  people  dared  not  even  complain. 

Here  Icannot  refrain  from  praising  that  hospitality  which 
prevails  among  the  Russian  peasantry,  and  which  is  still 
more  remarkable  the  further  we  advance  into  the  coun- 
try. They  are  all  anxious  to  receive  strangers,  and  con- 
<\dcY  it  a  very  great  honour  done  them.  They  set  be- 
fore their  guests  every  thing  they  have,  and  are  ex- 
tremely delighted  to  see  them  relish  the  repast.  I  shall 
never  forget  the  uneasiness  of  a  female  villager  on  seeing 
us  approach,  becuse  she  had  no  refreshments  at  hand. 
She  ran  about  the  cottage,  and  exclaimed,  with  tears  in 
her  eyes:  "  Here  are  three  good  little  guests,  and  I  have 
nothing  to  set  before  them  the  words,  good  little  guests, 
made  me  smile.  The  peasants  never  demand  any  money 
in  return  for  their  h^pitality ;  they  refuse  to  be  paid 
for  bread,  quass,  and  such  things;  and  for  their  poultry, 
cream,  and  eggs,  they  are  always  sat-'^^ed  with  what- 
ever price  is  oflered  for  them.  As  they  never  receive 
any  thing  but  curses  from  the  soldiers  and  couriers  who  call 
on  them,  they  take  care  not  to  acknowledge  that  they  have 
any  provisions  in  the  house  :  I  am  however  convmccd, 
tliat  a  traveller  would  always  find. plenty  when  he  ac- 
costs the  Russian  peasant  in  a  civil  manner.  Whenever 
Ave  wanted  any  thing  out  of  the  common  way,  I  under- 
took the  business  alone,  and  promising  to  pay  for  what 
we  ordered,  we  were  supplied  with  every  thing -v  e  de- 
sired ;  tut  the  manner  in  which  soldiers  and  couriers 
usually  act,  is  extremely  tyrannical.  Where  is  th  j  desat- 
niek  ?  (an  officer  somewhat  like  the  mayor  or  bailiff  in 

Germany)  The  desatnick  presents  himself  with  all 

humility. — "  We  want  such  and  such  things." — He 
makes  excuses,  and  declares  he  has  none  of  them.  The 
depredators  swear  in  a  horrid  manner,  and  threaten  to 
beat  him :  he  then  sets  out  in  quest  of  provisions,  and  if 


i;e  linds  any,  brings  them  ;  but  as  he  is  not  to  be  paid  for 
(hem,  he  procures  the  worst  that  are  to  be  had.  Were 
I  it  not  for  this  deeply-rooted  abuse,  travelh'ng  in  Russia 
I  would  be  very  agreeable  ;  lor  these  good  and  hospitable 
peasants,  who  are  so  easily  won  over,  are  every  where 
to  be  met  with.    A  thing  of  no  value,  a  mere  trifle,  a 
piece  of  sugar  given  to  their  children,  makes  them  in- 
stantly your  friends.    In  this  w^ay  1  acted  during  the 
whole  journey,  and  I  had  all  the  mothers  on  my  side. — 
i  I  gave  the  preference  to  children  about  the  size  of  two 
I  of  my  own  daughters.    Often,  very  often,  the  tears 
t  came  into  my  eyes  :  "  You  have  certainly  children  at 
i  home,"  the  women  w^ould  say  to  me. — Six,"  replied 
tl,  with  a  heavy  heart,     and  the  youngest  not  a  year 
;'old."    Then  I  was  sure  to  read  that  compassion  in  their 
eyes,  which  is  so  easily  understood.    I  would  then  get 
onto  my  carriage,  and  they  w  ould  bless  me. 

But  let  me  wave  these  digressions,  and  return  to  my 
own  story.  On  the  second  night  great  precautions  were 
taken  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  an  escape guards 
were  stationed  in  the  house,  the  window-shutters  were 
fastened,  and  my  bed  placed  near  the  Counsellor's.  The 
Courier  slept  on  the  floor,  so  that  I  must  have  passed 
over  his  body,  had  I  endeavoured  to  get  away. 

My  beard  was  much  grown;  I  wished  to  shave  my- 
self, but  this  was'  not  allowed,  and  a  barber  was  sent 
tor.  In  vain  I  urged,  that  for  a  long  time  past  I  had' 
been  accustomed  to  perform  this  operation  with  my  own 
hands,  and  that  if  I  had  any  intention  to  destroy  my- 
self, I  was  at  liberty  to  plunge  headlong  into  the  first  ri- 
ver I  came  to.  All  this  reasoning  was  without  effect : 
the  Counsellor,  however,  took  advantage  of  what  I  had 
said  concerning  rivers,  and  whenever  we  came  to  one, 
he  placed  himself  between  me  and  the  water,  as  a  means 
of  securing  my  person.  Silly  man  !  the  power  of  thy 
Emperor  does  not  extend  so  far.  We  enter  into  this 
world  by  one  road  only,  but  there  are  a  thousand  that 
lead  out  of  it,  and  no  human  authority  can  hinder  nie 
from  breaking  my  fetters  whenever  I  desire.  I  recollect 
reading  in  Raynal,  that  the  negroes  frequently  choke 
G 


74 

themselves  with  their  tongues,  which  they  thrust  in 
their  throats.    Heaven  be  praised,  I  shall  not  do  thi 
A  germ  of  hope  still  exists  in  my  breast;  it  may. 
checked  a  little,  but  still  it  may  revive  again,  and  pr 
duce  such  fruits  as  shall  make  me  cherish  my  existence 
We  now  arrived  at  Polosk,  the  only  considerabl 
town  we  had  met  with  since  we  had  passed  Riga 
Here  we  merely  changed  horses;  but  while  this  w 
being  done,  the  Counsellor  went  on  with  his  task 
writing  down  the  report  of  his  expedition.    At  ever 
town  he  did  the  same,  and  that  induced  me  to  keep 
good  terms  with  him,  and  behave  to  him  as  civilly  as 
possibly  could.     1  was  well  convinced  he  would  not 
insert  a  w^ord  of  my  elopement :  the  fear  of  losing  his 
noble  confidential  employment  of  escorting  prisoners  to 
Siberia,  and  of  being  deprived  of  the  pleasant  spectacle 
of  their  separation  from  their  family  and  friends,  and  thej 
agreeable  sounds  of  their  lamentations,  prevented  him 
from  relating  that:  but  it  was  possible  he  would  have 
written  down  some  litt'e  details  which  might  have  prov- 
ed injurious  to  me ;  and  yet,  in  spite  of  all  my  complai- 
sance, who  knows  if  he  has  not  done  this  ?  I  could  see, 
from  the  manner  he  set  about  this  trifling  task,  that  he 
was  no  adept  at  his  pen.    It  cost  him  much  time  to  get 
through  a  few  lines,  and  it  was  a  ludicrous  sight  to  ob- 
serve with  what  solemnity  he  would  begin  two  or  three 
times  to  scrawl  over  a  piece  of  paper.    Our  Counsellor, 
therefore,  was  fit  only  for  the  calling  he  exercised,  that 
of  dragging  condemned  people  to  punishment :  and  iix|| 
this  he  acquitted  himself  with  much  dexterity  and  inteI-1 
ligence,  the  fruit  of  the  long  experience  he  had  had  in^ 
this  kind  of  service.    He  had  not  indeed  always  filled  ' 
the  office  in  so  distinguished  a  manner  as  in  the  present 
case.    Hitherto  he  had  been  nothing  more  than  a  mere 
officer  in  the  service  of  the  senate.    He  was  promoted 
to  a  civil  employment,  and  honoured  witli  the  title  of^ 
Aulic  counsellor,  in  consequence  of  this  Siberian  expe-fl 
dition,  to  which  he  had  been  appointed  as  my  conductor 
I  know  not  why  it  was  judged  necessary  to  appoint  a 
escort  invested  with  such  a  title.    Was  if  done  in  ord( 


lo  avoid  all  uppcarance  of"  soldier'?  and  guards  ?  Whal- 
fver  was  the  motive,  it  is  equally  vain  to  guess  at  it: 
it  is  however  certain,  that  he  performed  this  duty  in  his 
capacity  of  Aiilic  counsellor,  and  he  seemed  not  a  little 
vain  of  the  title. 

The  title,  no  doubt,  very  much  increased  the  conside- 
ration with  which  I  was  treated  on  the  way.  I  was 
commonly  taken  for  a  person  of  great  consequence,  be- 
ing thus  escorted  by  an  Aulic  counsellor,  while  men 
of  rank,  and  even  general  officers,  had  no  other  escort 
than  a  dragoon,  and  no  other  carriage  than  a  kibitk  :  i  his 
flattering  distinciion,  therefore,  was  of  considerable  im- 
portance to  me  during  the  whole  journey. 
•  On  the  road  between  Polosk  and  Smolensk,  I  was 
again  actacked  by  violent  fits  of  the  cholic ;  and  these 
were  accompanied  by  involuntary  tremours,  convulsions 

vin  all  my  limbs,  and  heats  in  my  head  and  stomach,  which 
threatened  to  produce  speedy  suffiDcation  ;  these  heats  de- 
clared themselves  by  tension  of  the  forehead,  sparks  of 
fire  in  the  eyes,  and  a  buzzing  in  the  ears.  My  pulse 
varied  every  moment ;  I  lost  my  appetite,  and  could  not 
sleep ;  I  dreamed  even  when  awake,  and  phantoms 
were  continually  dancing  before  my  eyes.  All  my  ideas 
were  incoherent  and  obscure  :  I  was  almost  insensi- 
ble to  every  thing  round  me ;  the  remembrance  of  my 
wife  and  mv  children  began  to  lose  its  charm,  and  the 
prospect  of  death  its  terrors. 

1  had  no  other  medicine  a:  hand  than  some  neutralized 
halts,  and  the  cream  of  tartar  which  had  been  given  me 
at  Stockmannshof.  The  prescriptions  which  1  had  col- 
lected for  a  considerable  time  paU,  and  which  I  had  ob- 
tained from  some  of  the  most  celebrated  physicians  in 
Germany,  such  as  Zimmermann,  Selle,  Marcard,  Gall, 
flufeland,  &c.  were  sealed  up  with  the  rest  of  my  pa- 
pers ;  I  had  in  vain  petitioned  to  have  them  restored  to 
me;  they  had  been  perhaps  taken  for  cyphered  letters 
belonging  to  some  secret  correspondence.    I  was  there- 

^fore  without  succour,  and  experienced  a  sort  of  pleasure 
'  i  the  idea  of  arriving  at  Smolensk,  where  I  expected 
procure  some  relief.    In  fact,  I  owed  my  preservation 


76 


lo  those  soft  rays  of  iiope  which  had  already  begun  t« 
gleam  upon  me.  J 

We  arrived  very  late.  The  Counsellor,  who  had  now! 
an  antipatliy  to  inns,  had  ordered  the  postilion  to  drive] 
to  the  post-house ;  but  there  was  no  room  for  us ;  and,] 
as  I  positively  declared  1  would  go  no  farther,  he  wad 
obliged  to  drive  to  an  inn.  That  to  which  we  drove] 
appeared  to  be  a  decent  house :  the  host  received  us! 
with  lights  in  his  hand,  and  conducted  us  up  a  large  stair-i 
case  into  a  spacious  anti-chamber.  I  imagined,  trom  ap-j 
pearances,  that  we  had  found  a  comfortable  asylum,  but] 
when  I  saw  our  destined  apartment,  how  was  I  disap-1 
pointed  !  It  was  a  lofty  garret,  the  floor  of  which  was 
ready  to  give  way  under  our  feet,  and  the  panes  of  glass 
in  the  window  were  broken,  and  all  the  Kirniture  of  the 
room  xvas  an  old  bedstead ;  there  \ias  not  a  single  chair, 
much  less  a  looking-glass;  and  the  walls  fluttered  witli 
old  ragged  tapestry. 

I  looked  round,  and  but  too  well  aware  it  was  in  vain 
to  make  any  complaint,  I  ajked  for  a  little  hay  to  till  up 
the  empty  bedstead ;  and,  as  soon  as  it  was  brought, 
threw  myself  upon  it  without  uttering  a  word.  The 
wind  that  came  in  tfirough  the  broken  panes  blew  di- 
rectly upon  me.  I  had  no  other  covering  but  the  bed- 
gown and  cloak  which  had  been  given  me  ;  and  the  cold 
and  the  vermin  banished  repose. 

Day-light  began  to  appear,  and  I  found  myself  in  a 
violent  fever ;  my  eyes  were  swelled  and*  inflamed.  I 
waited  with  impatience  till  the  Counsellor  awaked,  in 
order  to  entreat  him  to  procure  me  a  physician ;  but  the 
hyd-hearted  wretch  ret'used  my  request.  He  was  of 
opinion,  he  said,  that  repose  would  be  of  more  service 
lo  me  than  any  thing  else,  and  added,"  that  we  should 
halt  tor  a  day  wliere  we  now  were.  The  Courier,  wiio 
had  biit  one  specific  cure  ior  the  ills  both  of  the  body  and 
soul,  wisely  recommended  me  to  eat  and  drink  as  iiiuch 
as  i  could. 

This  cruel  proceeding  stung  me  to  the  quick.  I  pun- 
ished my  executioner,  however,  with  contemptuou> 
silence,  and  I  refused  to  remain  there.    I  declared,  t1  -c  ; 


77 


if  I  must  die,  I  would  rather  die  in  tlie  fiolds,  and  I  im- 
mediately quitted  my  miserable  couch. 

Having  expressed  a  wish  tor  a  glass  of  Rhenish  as 
we  came  along,  the  Counsellor  now  bought  me  a  bottle; 
>h  cost  two  roubles,  and  was  so  bad,  that  it  was  absolute- 
ly thrown  away,  as  my  worthy  companions  drank  no 
wine;  brandy  alone  suited  their  palates. 

Between  Smolensk  and  Moscow,  my  indisposition 
considerably  increased.  A  general  torpor  pervaded  my 
limbs;  I  scarcely  felt  myself  alive,  and  grew  bhnd  to 
every  thing  that'  surrounded  me.  To  have  any  idea  of 
my  condition  at  that  time,  the  reader  must  conceive  him- 
self in  the  situation  of  a  man  who,  having  awaked  in  the 
midst  of  darkness,  without  any  recollection  of  the  place 
in  which  he  was,  would  fain  grope  out  his  way,  and  yet 
has  not  the  power  to  move.  From  time  to  time  the 
image  of  my  wife  seemed  to  break  through  this  gloom, 
but  only  for  a  moment ;  it  was  not  like  a  flash  of  light, 
but  resembled  a  soft  ray,  which  reached  and  penetrated 
my  eyes ;  and  my  eyes  alone  participated  in  its  lustre. 

When  the  Counsellor  saw  that  my  condition  became 
dangerous,  he  began  to  show  some  regard  to  it.  He 
promised  that  when  we  arrived  at  Moscow,  a  physician 
should  attend  me.  This  promise  made  but  little  impres- 
sion upon  my  mind;  and  during  the  height  of  my  raging 
fever,  if  the  idea  of  my  wifcfand  family  had  not  been 
ever  present  to  my  imagination,  I  should  gladly  have 
thrown  myself  into  the  arms  of  death,  with  all  that  ea- 
gerness with  which  we  embrace  a  friend,  ^vho  has  been 
long  and  ardently  expected.  We  arrived  at  Moscow 
"  ie  7th  of  May,  old  style,  and  were  driven  through  a 
..loasand  dirty  and  pestiferous  streets,  to  the  lodgings  «f 
Major  MaximofF,  the  comrade  and  very  intimate  friend 
of  our  Counsellor.  ^The  Major  inhabited  a  miserable  hut, 
coRsistihg  of  two  small  rooms,  which  his  Ensign  shared 
with  him.  The  unexpected  arrival  of  three  persons  ren^ 
dered  the  dwelling. still  more  inconvenient;  the  Major, 
however,  did  the  honours  of  his  house  with  a  good  grace, 
and  strove  by  every  means  in  his  power  to  render  my 
situation  tolerable.    He  gave  me  some  soup^  and  a  dish 

G  2 


78 


of  coffee,  and  compelled  me  to  accept  his  own  be 
which,  though  hard,  proved  a  great  comfort  to  me. 

The  Counsellor,  imagining  that  T  had  fallen  aslee 
began  to  inform  his  dear  comrade  of  the  happy  chan 
in  liis  fortune.  I  felt  a  real  pleasure  to  hear  this  frien 
of  his  lament  his  being  employed  in  such  kind  of  busines 
Our  Counsellor  only  smiled,  and  exhibited  his  two  dee 
wrinkles :  he  cared  indeed  but  little  for  what  peop 
said  ;  and  rising  from  his  seat,  walked  to  the  stove 
evaporate,  through  the  pores  of  his  skin,  the  little  po 
tion  of  sentiment  which  nature  had  bestowed  on  him. 
physician  had  been  promised  me,  but  I  waited  for  him 
in  vain,  tor  in  fact  he  was  not  to  come  at  all.  When  I 
requested  my  execu'ioner  to  make  good  his  promise,  he 
replied,  shrugging  up  his  shoulders,  that  it  was  contrary 
to  liis  orders  to  allow  me  any  medical  assistance. 

"  You  are  instructed  then  to  let  medio?"  "  Ah,  you 
will  not  die,  Sir.^'  I  remained  silent.  With  Heaven's 
good  help,  said  I  to  myself,  before  I  die,  I  will  make 
my  will  and  take  leave  of  my  wife.  This  idea  took 
strong  hold  of  my  mind,  yet  tiiis  favour  was  likewise  de- 
nied me.  It  was  necessary  to  procure  a  public  officer  to 
authenticate  such  an  act,  and  how  could  I  expect  to  be 
indulged  with  a  notary,  when  a  physician  had  been  de- 
nied me?  I  cut  short  this  difficulty,  by  begging  1  might- 
be  allowed  a  minister:  ca(h  it  be  conceived  that  this  too 
was  refilled  me  r  It  was  in  vain  I  represented  to  our 
Counsellor,  that  besides  the  welfare  of  my  soul,  it  must 
iiaturally  be  supposed,  that  as  a  father  of  a  family  I  had 
affairs  to  set  in  order  ;  ,that  the  right  of  making  bequests 
was  refused  to  none  ;  that  the  ICmperor  had  no  design  tt- 
piinish  either  my  wife  or  my  children;  all  these  reasonh 
were  of  no  avail,  I  was  unable  to  move  him. 

"  But,  for  God's  sake,"  contmued^I,  "  \Gi  me  write 
a  few  words  to  my  wife;  you  shall  read  them  yourself ; 
you  have  already  promised  her  this,  and  to  me  you  have 
repeated  that  promise  a  hundred  times."  He  considered 
a  little,  and  at  last  consented. 

I  wrote  four  or  five  lines  only,  and  refrained  from  aV 
observations  on  my  unhappy  situation,    I  advised  her  t-.. 


79 

arm  herself  with  resolution,  to  take  proper  care  of  iier 
health,-  for  the  sake  of  her  children,  who  were  thus  de- 
prived of  their  father.  I  translated  my  letter  to  the  Coun- 
sellor, sealed  it  in  his  presence,  and  gave  it  into  his 
hands;  and  he  begged  the  Major  to  have  it  sent  to  the 
post-office.  This  task  being  performed,  I  grew  more 
composed ;  but  I  was  soon  after  told  by  the  Courier, 
that  my  letter  had  been  thrown  into  the  fire.  I  sjiud- 
dered  when  I  heard  this.  I  had  indeed  always  thought 
meanly  of  the  Counsellor,  but  stung  with  indignation  at 
this  act  of  treachery,  he  now  became  odious  to  me,  and 
I  vowed  for  him  eternal  hatred  and  contempt. 

Yet  in  rpite  of  his  vigilance  and  all  the  eyes  that  sur- 
rounded me,  I  found  means  to  write  a  sec(md  letter.  I 
shall  not  relate  what  these  means  were ;  I  should  per- 
haps injure  the  kind  person  who  furnished  me  with  them : 
May  God  reward  him  The  next  evening  we  left 
Moscow.  The  weather  was  very  fine ;  and  crossing 
the  oi^y,  we  passed,  near  the  public  walk,  a  birch-tree 
alley,  which  resembles  the  Linden  at  Berlin.  Here  the 
heau  monde  resort:  it  was  now  filled  with  equipages, 
handsome  well-dressed  ladies,  and  fiise  gentlemen,  not 
one  of  whom  observed  the  poor  Author,  v\  ho  perhaps 
that  very  evening  was  to  contribute  to  their  amusement. 
How  do  the  happy  and  the  unfortunate  cross  each  other 
in  this  world  !  How  unusual  \f  it  for  one  among  them  to 
concern  himself  about  the  situation  of  another,  while 
every  one,  engrossed  by  his  own  concerns,  stumbles  in- 
discriminately on  the  bramble  or  the  flower.  Though 
the  sight  of  this  promenade  did  not  excite  very  agreeable 
sensations  in  my  mind,  it  diverted  its  attention  in  some 
degree  from  the  misery  of  its  condition. 

I  know  not  whether  I  should  ascribe  the  recovery  of 
my  health  to  the  spring,  to  my  perfect  resignation,  or 
my  total  relinquishment  of  hope,  since  to  cease  to  hope 

*  My  wife  did  not  receive  the  letter.  Alexander  Schulkins, 
In  whom,  notwithstanding  his  foolery,  I  could  always  discover 
the  sentiments  of  a  well  meaning  man,  not  easily  bribed,  Alex- 
ander SchulkiYis,  I  say,  who  swore  by  every  saint  he  would  for- 
ward this  letter,  did  not  perform  what  he  had  promised. 


80 


is  to  procure  repose.    I  had,  however,  no  sooner  quitt 
Moscow  than  I  perceived  I  began  to  gain  strength, 
also  regained  my  fortitude,  and  often,  by  way  of  con 
lation,  I  reflected  on  the  cases  of  several  unfortunate  pe 
sons,^\vhose  ills  resembled  mine;    I  thought  of  Napp 
Tandy,  of  the  exiles  at  Cayenne ;  but  the  former  ha 
taken  an  active  pari  in  the  troubles  of  his  country ;  the 
others,  more  unhappy  perhaps  than  myself,  had  been 

Vi  concerned  in  the  administration  of  a  disjointed  state; 
thev  were  innocent,  it  is  true,  but  they  had  been  punish- 
ed for  the  avowal  of  sentiments  openly  expressed ;  but 
what  opinions  had  T  avowed?  In  a  word,  if  their  tor- 
ments have  surpassed  mine,  my  innocence,  at  least,  was 
more  self-evident  than  theirs. 

Nothing,  alas !  can  be  more  tormenting  than  the  con- 
dition of  the  man  who,  every  time  he  looks  into  himself, 
finds  the  consciousness  of  his  own  misery  assailing  him 
like  the  serpents  of  Lacoon,  in  every  possible  direction, 
and  torturing  him  under  a  thousand  various  shape%f 
Such  was  my  case,  isolated  as  1  was  in  my  carriage, 
without  a  human  creature  near  me  to  offer  comfort,  to 
advise  me,  or  to  listen  to  my  complaints ;  with  no  ob- 
ject to  divert  my  attention,  but  the  discordant  song  of 

j.  Alexander  Schiiikins,  and  the  heavy  sallies  of  my  exe- 

<: Table  Counsellor,  whose  jokes  were  all  alike,  and  every 
moment  repeated.  If  th«  Courier  fell  asleep,  he  would 
tickle  his  nose  with  the  tassel  of  his  cane  till  he  had 
avv'aked  him,  and  he  would  then  rub  him  between  the 
shoulders  with  the  head  of  it.  When  we  came  to  a  high 
mountain,  he  would  exclaim,  Moladinka  gnra!  (the  lit- 
tle young  mountain.)  And  was  it  but  a  moderate  one, 
he  would  cry,\  Wot  star-ucha  !  (see  the  old  mountain.) 
A  man  must,  like  myself,  have  frequented  good  com- 
pany, to  have  any  idea  of  the  horrid  disgust  I  continu- 
ally felt  in  the  society  of  these  animals.  The  Counsellor 
has  often  repeated  to  me,  that  he  had  five  hundred  souls 
in  his  possession;*  but  I  can  safely  aver  he  does  not 


*  This  is  the  expression  used  by  the  Russians  when  they  arc 
speaking  of  the  peasants. 


81 

I  ciwry  tlie  half  ot"  one  about  him.  The  only  good  quah"ty» 
the  man  had,  was  intrepidity  in  the  hour  of'  dan|yer.  He 
would  even  tempt  the  danger  he  could  have  avoided :  he 
never,  for  instance,  v^  ould  allow  the  carriage  wheels  to 
be  locked  in  descending  the  steepest  mountains.  One 
5  day  our  horses  took  fright  coming  down  a  hill,  at  the 
'  foot  of  which  was  a  brook  ;  over  the  brook  was  a  bridge ; 
but  from  the  direction  the  horses  had  taken,  it  was  evi- 
dent that  they  could  not  reach  it.  The  wheels  were 
within  two  paces  of  the  brink  ;  the  Counsellor,  without 
hesitation,  immediately  leaped  out ;  his  foot  slipped,  and 
he  fell  down  the  declivity ;  notwithstanding  this,  he  was 
'able  to  sustain  with  his  hands-  the  weight  of  the  carriage, 
which  was  on  the  point  of  turning  over ;  the  postilion 
then  drove  on,  and  it  was  by  this  fool-hardy  manoeuvre 
that  we  escaped  being  thrown  into  the  brook. 

He  often  gave  us  proof  of  similar  intrepidity,  particu- 
larly when  we  had  rivers  to  cross,  which  are  very  dan- 
gerous in  Russia,  and  remarkably  so  in  the  spring,  when 
tlie  melting  of  the  snows  suddenly  transforms  a  brook 
into  a  deep  stream.  The  method  of  ferrying  over  them 
is  also  ill  contrived  and  dangerous.  Two  boats,  fastened 
together  by  osier  twigs,  and  covered  with  planks,  con- 
stitute the  only  conveyance  for  all  sorts  of  carriages. 
Two  rowers  tugging  on  the  same  side  of  this  flying- 
bridge,  force  it  on,  while  a  pilot  at  the  other  end  steers 
its  course.  In  this  manner  the  most  difficult  ferries  are 
crossed.  ^During,  the  passage,  the  boats  are  generally 
filled  with  water.  Frequently  a  mere  raft,  constructed 
in  the  slightest  manner,  forms  the  ferry  boat,  so  that  the 
passenger  is  sure  to  be  drenched  to  the  skin.  These 
sort  of  fiat-bottomed  boats  are  fastened  by  a  rope,  and 
held  till  the  current  grows  rapid,  when  they  are  let 
loo-^e,  and  kept  as  much  as  possible  in  a  diagonal  direc- 
tion. 

W'e  had  to  pass  the  river  Sura,  near  the  little  tovrn  of 
Wasilkoi.    When  we  arrived  at  the  banks  of  it,  the  wind 
was  exiremely  boisterous,  and  tliis  small  stream,  which, 
d':rinr  '[ic  summqr  raontiis,  is  almost  dry,  was  now  so 
t  the  country,  for  a  German  mile  round  it,  waj 


82 


J^oocled,  and  even  ihe  tops  of  the  loftiest  trees  were  om 
low  the  water.    We  xvaited  a  considerable  time  before 

the  opposite  side,  and  more  than  two  hours  had  passed 
nnir  ^^of^^^'  ved:  at  last  it  came  to  our  assist- 

ance  We  had  judged,  from  its  slow  motion  when 
empty,  though  furnished  with  an  extra  number  of  oars 
t  iat  witn  our  incumbrance  it  would  proceed  still  more 
sion-^y  ihe  boatmen  assured  us,  the  moment  they  ar- 
rived the  passage  would  be  attended  with  much  danger, 
and  that  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  wait  till  the  wind 
aoated.  The  Counsellor  did  not  attend  to  their  advice, 
Jut  determined,  at  all  events,  to  embark  without  loss  of 
tinie  I  comcided  with  him,  for  I  braved  fortune,  and 
nened  its  power  to  render  my  situation  more  lamentable 
than  It  already  was.  The  men,  however,  refused  to 
t^ke  us;  it  was  necessary  to  show  them  our  orders:  they 
hen  made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  prayed  God  to  be 
Umir  helper. 

At  first  we  proceeded  extremely  well,  as  we  were 
under  the  shelter  of  a  neck  of  land,  which  completely 
sfuelded  us  from  the  tempest:  bat  when  we  gained  the 
rniddle  of  tne  n  ver,  we  began  to  be  much  incommoded. 
J  lie  wind  blew  with  such  violence,  and  drove  us  along 
wuh  such  rapidity,  that,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the 
boalrr^n,  we  could  no  longer  weather  the  storm.  We 
tiieu  drove  towards  a  bush,  which  appeared  to  be  of  no 
very  considerable  size,  and  as  we  approaclied  it,  the 
altrighied  rowers  strained  every  nerve  to  avoid  getting 
ioul  of  It.  They  uttejjd  several  loud  exclamations,  but 
1  could  not  understanTwhat  they  said.  Well,  said  I  to 
myself,  we  can  but  run  aground,  and  as  we  are  so  near 
tlie  town,  we  shall  soon  be  relieved.  Their  fears,  how- 
ever, were  not  ill  fbunded,  as  I  soon  perceived,  when 
on  drawing  nigh  the  supposed  bush,  I  found  it  was  nothing 
^ess  than  the  top  of  a  clump  of  trees,  whose  roots  lay 
deeper  under  water  than  our  longest  pole  could  reach. 
We  now  got  entangled  among  their  branches,  and  were 
in  danger  of  being  destroyed.  The  cords  of  the  raft 
seemed  incapable  of  resisting  such  violent  and  repeated 


83 


shocks.    The  two  boats  on  which  it  was  placed,  were 
on  the  point  of  breaking  asunder,  in  wliich  case  the  car- 
riage and  horses  must  have  floated  down  the  stream.  But 
ithis  was  not  the  greatest  danger  that  threatened  us;  one 
k)f  the  boats  was  lifted  up  by  the  (op  of  a  tree,  and  the 
other,  which  sunk  in  proportion,  was  filling  with  water 
Very  fast.    The  declivity  of  the  raft  became  so  consider- 
able, that  our  horses  with  difficulty  kept  theit  footing, 
ind  began  to  be  very  unruly.   We  were  ourseh  es  obliged 
/to  hold  fast  by  the  wheels  of  the  carriage,  and  were  all 
i  jbuttoo  sensible  that  this  perilous  situation  must  scon  yield 
J  r.o  something  still  worse. 

The  Counsellor  himself  was  at  length  convinced  of 
jhe  danger  into  which  his  rashness  had  plunged  us:  he 
rrevv  pale  and  uneasy;  then  laying  hold  of  a  pole  with 
/I  hook,  he  grappled  the  bough  of  a  tree;  the  Courier 
.;,lid  the  same,  and  the  boatmen,  abandoning  both  helm 
'lind  oars,  followed  their  example.  I  remained  the  only 
Inactive  person  on  board,  and  sat  wrapped  up  in  my 

1'loak  in  the  carriage,  perfectly  resigned,  and  awaited 
he  worst  that  could  biefal  me  with  tranquillity. 
The  Counsellor's  mana?uvre  saved  the  raft  from  falling 
j  D  pieces,  and  at  length  we  got  clear  of"  the  bushes ;  but 
.  ■  •^ere  after  all  unable  to  make  the  shore,  and  our  boatmen 
. '  eing  quite  worn  out  with  fatigue,  we  returned  to  our 
,  5rmer  station.    Fortunately  a  light  barge  soon  came* to 
ur  assistance ;  this  being  fastened  to  the  raft,  our  people 
gain  set  to  work,  with  the  addition  of  four  fresh  hands, 
^  nd  we  soon  arrived  safe  ontthe  opposite  shore. 
■  \   Were  I  disposed  to  jest,  I  might  ^y  with  Tamino,"^" 
,   lat  in  going  to  Siberia,  I  had  been  obliged  to  pass  through 
re  and  water  before  I  fead  been  initiated  in  the  dark 
lysteries  of  the  country.     One  night  we  saw  a  large 
'  )rest  in  flames.    At  a  distance  the  spectacle  produced 
'  1  grand  effect,  but  when  I  found  we  were  to  pass  through 
this  new  kind  of  danger  made  me  shudder.  Some 
riling  pines  which  had  fallen  one  against  the  other,  ac- 
i!Iy  ibrmed  an  arch  of  fire  in  the  very  middle  of  the 

A  character  in  the  Enchavited  Flute. 


84  '  m 

road,  while  others  threatened  to  fall  upon  our  heaajj 
We  frequently  observed  trees  burnt  eight  or  ten  feet  at 
bottom,  supported  by  the  mere  thickness  of  their  bark, 
their  tops  and  branches  as  ^'ct  untouched  by  the  flamc 
We  came  at  length  to  a  fir-tree  on  fire  from  top  to  bo: 
tom,  which  was  overturned  across  the  road.  At  firsi 
we  hesitated  what  to  do,  as  it  was  equally  dangerous  to 
proceed  or  to  turn  back.  It  was  at  length  determined 
to  proceed  ;  the  postilion  whipped  the  horses,  and  drove 
them  over  tlie  lowest  part  of  tlie  tree.  This  agreeable 
passage  was  at  least  a  thousand  paces  in  length. 

There  is  nothing  more  common  in  travelling  through 
Russia,  than  to  meet  with  these  fires.  I  had  before  seen 
several,  but  not  so  near  at  hand.  The  natives  appear 
delighted  at  such  accidents  :  the  country  is  so  encum- 
bered with  forests,  that  they  take  no  means  whatever  tc 
extinguish  such  conflagrations. 

We  proceeded  through  Wolodimer,  and  Nichnei  No- 
vogorod.  The  reader  will  not  expect  any  descriptior 
of  these  cities.  The  sensations  with  vvhich  I  was  op- 
pressed, precluded  all  observation  of  these  places,  which 
however,  many  travellers  have  already  described,  anc 
of  which  I  could  relate  itothing  r.aw. 

One  morning  as  we  were  alDOut  to  depart  from  a  vil 
lage  where  we  had  slept  the  preceding  night,  we  hearc 
the'bells  of  some  post-horses  that  were  on  the  road  com 
ing  from  Moscow.  This  agreeable  sound,  which  I  ha( 
in  my  ears  ever  since  I  left  that  city,  excited  a  suddei 
sensation  in  my  mind,  and  my  heart  beat  violently.  **  I 
courier  !"  cried  a^easant,  a  courier  !"  I  instantl; 
ran  out.  The  sound  drew  nearer ;  it  was  in  truth  ; 
courier,  but  not  a  courier  disjfatched  to  announce  m 
recal.  An  unfortunate  old  man,  dressed  in  a  bed-gowi 
and  night-cap,  with  fetters  on  his  legs,  now  made  hi 
appearance,  seated  in  a  wretched  kibitk.  This  prisonll 
was  a  lieutenant-coloneLof  Rasan,  a  man  in  good  cli 
ciimstances,  and,  like  myself,  a  husband  and  a  father 
he  had  been  dragged  out  of  his  bed  in  the  middle  of  tf. 
night,  agd,  like  me,  torn  from  his  afflicted  family,  an 
destined  also  to  the  same  spot  where  I  was  U's  .  -  '  • 


A  quarrel  which  he  had  had  with  the  governor,  was  the 
cause  of  his  misfortune.  The  irons  witli  which  he  wai 
loaded,  had  swelled  his  legs  exceedingly  ;  he  had  no 
change  of  linen,  no  clothes,  and,  in  sliort,  was  in  tliG 
most  deplorable  condition  that  can  be  imagined.  • 

He  was  escorted  by  a  police  ofticer,  belonging  to  the 
town  of  Riisan.  This  man,  who  was  a  Greek  by  birth, 
and  who  spoke  Italian  very  fluently,  appeared  to  be  very 
civil  and  well-disposed,  and  to  do  all  in  his  power  to 
alleviate  the  misfortune  of  his  prisoner.  He  even  went 
so  far  as  to  take  off  his  chains,  which  our  Counsellor 
would  have  been  glad  to  have  fastened  on  me.  His 
good  humour  had  pleased  my  odious  guard  to  such  a  de- 
gree, that  he  allowed  me  to  chat  with  him,  though  our 
conversation  might  naturally  enough  have  displeased  him, 
as  it  w^as  carried  on  in  Italian,  a  lar.guage  of  which  he 
had  not  the  least  knowledge.  I  was  delighted  with  this 
meeting ;  the  man  was  w^ell  informed,  and  after  three 
fonely  wrecks,  to  find  a  human  creature  with  whom  I 
could  converse,  was  an  inexpressible  plcasifre  to  me. 

From  Uiis  moment  we  generally  travelled  in  company, 
and  though  we  separated  fi^m  time  to  time,  we  sooii 
met  again.  The  Colonel  seemed  to  be  a  quiet  good-, 
natured  man,  and  to  bear  his  misfortune  with  great  dig. 
nity  of  mind.  In  comparing  our  different  cases,  the 
consideration  of  his  calamity  was  well  calculated  to  re- 
concile me  in  a  certain  degree  to  my  own.  In  his  es- 
cort he  was  more  fortunate  than  me;  but  in  other  res- 
pects his  condition  was  worse  than  mine,  as  he  was  in 
total  want  of  every  thing,  not  having  had  time  to  take 
any  money  with  him. 

This  unfortunate  gentleman,  being  continually  in  sight, 
afforded  me  a  spectacle  that  mitigated  my  own  affliction. 
It  revived  my  sinking  resolution,  and  I  endeavoured  to 
imitate  his  firmness  of  mind.  I  was  furnished  with  tea, 
and  we  often  drank  11  together.  He  would  smile  as  a 
token  of  gratitude:  we  w^ished  much  to  relate  our  mu- 
tual sorrows,  but  that  consolation  was  denied  us. 

I  cannot  refrain  from  noticing  a  natural  plwenoraenen 
which  I  saw  on  tlie  road.    It  was  a  man  one  hundred 


II 


86  m 

and  thirty  years  old.    His  eldest  son,  who  was  eightj 
appeajied  not  more  than  fifty.     He  has  a  numeroSB 
progeny.    When  \vc  arrived  at  his  dwelling,  we  fbunff 
him  lying  on  a  couch,  with  nothing  but  a  hard  mattress 
luider  him.    Excepting  his  sight,  which  was  grown  very 
weak,  he  had  all  his  faculties  unimpaired.    He  still  con- 
tinued to  go  into  the  woods  in  quest  of  bark  to  make  his 
shoes;  and  I  was  much  struck  to  observe  that  his  hands  were 
neither  wrinkled  nor  thin,  as  is  commonly  the  case  with 
old  people.    As  soon  as  he  saw  us  he  arose,  dressed  him- 
self, and  offered  me  his  bed.    I  was  affected  by  this  act 
of  hospitality.    That  a  man,  almost  a  century  older  than 
myself,  should  offer  me  his  bed,  and  sleep  himself  on 
the  ground,  was  indeed  a  very  singular  act  of  kindness ! 
I  felt  peculiar  delight  in  gaaing  on  the  old  man,  and  left 
him  with  much  regret.    J  should  have  been  glad  to  have 
asked  him  many  questions  relative  to  his  manner  of  liv^ 
ing,  which  doubtless  was  a  principal  cause  of  his  attain-, 
ing  such  an  extreme  old  age,  but  our  stay  was  too  shori 
and  indeed  1  was  not  sufficiently  master  of  the  Russia^' 
language.    All  that  I  was  able  {o  learn  on  this  subject 
vvas,  that  he  had  married  late  in  life,  and  had  never  been 
addicted  to  the  use  of  strong  liquors. 

At  the  last  post  before  Casan,  wx  met  with  General 
Mertens,  whom  I  had  formerly  known.  This  officer, 
who  was  a  German  by  birth,  had  lately  been  nominated 
Vice-Go vernor  of  Perm.  We  met  on  the  banks  of  the 
Wolga,  and  as  the  environs  were  under  water  as  far  as 
the  eye  could  reach,  we  made  a  long  passage  together. 
I  rejoiced  at  thi^-meeting ;  I  had  not  spoken  German  for 
tlie  last  three  weeks:  We  talked  of  the  good  old  timesj 
and  he  listened  to  the  story  of  my  misfortunes  with  greal 
attention.  The  Counsellor,  who  formerly  had  served! 
under  him,  could  not,  from  respect  to  thCoGeneral,  in- 
terrupt our  conversation.  I  learnt  many  occurrences 
that  had  taken  place,  few  of  which  were  of  an  agreeable 
nature.  He  was  himself  much  out  of  huniour  with  for- 
tune. He  was  a  Major-Genjeral  pf  considerable  stand 
4ng,  and  had  been  invested;  with  a  civil  employment 
ivithout  having  solicited  91  desired  it,        sent  to  Pei  ki 


^7 


two  thousand  verstes  from  Petersburg,  where  he  had  left 
his  family.  The  office  of  Vicc-Gcf\'ernor  of  that  town 
was  rather  a  degradation  than  an  advancement.  I  shall 
conclude  his  story  by  observing,  that  Fortune,  who  had 
seemed  to  frown  on  him,  in  making  him  Vice-Governor 
of  Perm,  where  in  fact  he  was  nothing  better  than  an 
exile,  had  since  smiled  on  him ;  for  when  he  arrived  at 
that  place,  he  received  a  commission  which  named  him 
to  the  government  of  Twer,  a  city  situated  not  far  from 
Moscow,  and  which  holds  a  distinguished  rank  among 
the  Russian  provinces.  He  arrived  at  the  seat,  of  his 
government  by  a  very  singular  road,  having  made  his 
way  per  aspera  ad  astra.  Ah !  why  did  not  the  Em- 
peror act  in  the  same  manner  towards  me  ?  Had  he  only 
ordered  me  to  be  condudled  to  Petersburg  through  Sibe- 
ria, I  would  erase  from  the  tablet  of  my  memory  every 
circumstance  of  this  narrative. 

We  arrived  in  the  evening  at  Casan,  avoiding  the  inns 
as  usual.  It  was  late,  and  I  saw  but  little  of  this  re- 
markable city.  Here  the  Counsellor  had  friends,  as  in 
all  other  parts,  very  usdiil  friends,  with  whom  he  could 
lodge  without  expense.  We  alighted  in  the  Tartar  sub- 
urbs, three  verstes  from  the  city,  at  the  house  of  Lieut. 
Justifey  Temofectsch,  a  man  about  fifty  years  of  age,  and 
one  of  the  best  creatures  in  the  world.  He  was  married, 
but  had  no  children  :  he  seemed  flattered  by  the  friend- 
ship of  the  Counsellor,  and  wished  for  no  greater  honour 
than  his  high  protection.  It  was  easy  to  perceive  that 
he  was  not  in  very  affluent  circumstances^  nevertheless 
both  he  and  his  wife  receiv^ed  us  with  so  much  kindness, 
and  offered  us  every  thing  they  had  to  offer  in  so  cordial 
a  manner,  that  I  never  shall  forget  their  hospitality.  Had 
my  appetite  been  much  greater  than  it  wa;,  they  would 
have  been  so  much  the  more  happy.  It  was,  however, 
far  from  being  moderate,  as  all  the  post-houses  we  had 
slopped  at,  on  the  other  side  of  Casan,  were  mere  pig- 
sties. The  Tschermists  and  the  Wotiaks  who  keep  ihcm, 
<ire  all  dirty  and  beastly  people,  scarcely  acquainted  with 
the  laws  of  hospitality ;  not  even  a  chaif  is  to  be  found 
iii  their  houses. 


88 


Notwithstanding  tlic  keenness  of  my  appetite,  had 
been  even  Sancho  himself^  I  could  never  have  sw^allo 
ed  every  thing  my  good  host  of  Casan  placed  before  m 
Early  in  the  morning  was  served  coffee,  with  bread  an 
butter;  an  hour  aher  pirogue  (a  kind  of  meat  pie)  wi 
brandy;  two  hours  later  more  brandy,  with  soused  fis 
sausages,  and  such  things.  Afterwards  came  in  dinne 
consisting  of  four  very  large  dishes ;  theii  at  three  o'cloc 
coffee  and  biscuits;  at  five  tea,  with  several  kinds 
pastry,  and  at  night,  after  all  this  feasting,  came  a  plen- 
tiful- supper.  Heavens !  how  my  two  companions  la- 
boured ;  they  had  certainly  stomachs  which  contained  a 
store-house  against  a  time  of  scarcity!  In  addition  to 
this  good  eating  and  drinking,  I  was  accommodated  with 
a  good  bed,  and  for  the  first  night  of  my  journey  slept 
soundly  :  1  might  even  say,  that  the  halt  would  have  re- 
lieshed  me  very  much,  had  not  the  great  number  of  ^a- 
racans'*  interrupted  the  enjoyment  of  it.  It  is  difficult  to 
f  orm  an  idea  of  the  prodigious  quantities  of  these  insects 
that  infested  every  room.  I  had  never  seen  so  many  to- 
gether, even  in  the  most  wretched  hut.  They  kept  run- 
iiing  by  thousands  over  the  walls  and  ceiling  ;  and  when- 
ever a  candle  appeared,  these  thousands  were  converted 
into  millions.  A  piece  of  bread  left  on  the  table  would 
be  instantly  covered  with  them ;  and  when  the  inhabit- 
;mts  take  their  meals,  they  always  sit  at  a  distance  from 
the  walls.  When  in  bed,  however,  though  I  slept  with 
the  curtains  open,  not  one  of  them  molested  me. 

We  remained  two  days  at  Casan,  or  rather  in  the 
Tartar  suburb.  Here  by  stealth  I  wrote  with  a  pencil 
anothernote  to  my  wife,"  but  1  know  not  whether  she  re- 
ceived it.  I  then  began  to  commit  to  paper  the  sub- 
stance of  a  memorial  to  the  Emperor,  and  as  all  writing 
for  this  purpose  was  positively  forbidden  me,  I  was  • 
obliged  to  observe  the  strictest  precaution  in  my  pro-  ' 
ceedings.  At  first  I  only  ventured  to  scribble  with  a 
pencil.  I  had  one  about  me  which  1  had  bought  at  Mos- 
cow, on  the  pretext  of  noting  down  the  posts.    I  had 


*  Blata  cxicntalis ;  they  are  called  in  German}- A^fiy^er/rt/fcj. 


89 


i  likewise  tvs'O  dictionaries  to  assist  me  in  the  attainment 
i  of"  the  Russian  language,  and  on  the  margin  of  these 
I  books  I  made  my  memorandums.  For  this  purpose  I 
availed  myself  of  every  solitary  moment ;  these  were' 
'  often  of  short  duration  indeed ;  but  the  repairs  of  the 
carriage  obliging  the  Counsellor  to  go  more  than  once  to 
the  blacksmith's,  I  had  then  several  hours  at  my  com- 
mand. In  these  dictionaries  I  registered  many  circum- 
stances without  awakening  the  least  suspicion.  At 
Casan,  indeed,  I  remained  much  in  bed,  concealed  by 
curtains  which  still  admitted  sufficient  light  to  enable  me 
to  proceed  with  my  task.  In  this  manner  I  wrote  with- 
out interruption,  as  my  companions,  imagining  rest  to  be 
extremely  necessary  to  my  health,  were  very  willing 
that  1  should  take  it.  I  began  to  consider  this  work  as 
an  indispensible  measure ;  in  the  hrst  place,  because  I 
had  no  reliance  on  the  Counsellor's  declarations  tliat  I 
should  be  allowed  to  write  at  Tobolsk ;  and  in  the  se- 
cond, I  had  an  opportunity  of  sending  these  sketches  to 
my  wife,  who  would  arrange  them  in  proper  order,  and 
forward  them  to  their  destination. 

The  rest  of  my  time  I  passed  in  a  very  dull  manner  at 
Casan.  I  commonly  sat  at  the  window  which  looked 
into  the  court-yard,  where  ray  carriage  stood  to  remind 
me  of  the  misery  I  had  suffered  in  it  for  three  long  weeks. 

A  handsome  Tartar  woman,  who  lodged  in  the  room 
over  me,  furnished  me  however  \vith  some  amusement ; 
not  that  I- was  struck  either  with  her  beauty  or  her  youth, 
but  she  aflforded  a  picture  of  the  Tartar  manners,  which 
was  quite  a  novel  subject  to  me.  When  a  female  of  that 
nation  sees  a  stranger,  she  is  obliged  by  custom  to  run 
from  him,  or  to  hide  her  face.  This  woman  had  some 
business  to  transact  in  a  small  ware-house  exactly  oppo- 
site to  my  w- Indow.  The  sight  of  me  embarrassed  her  ex- 
tremely, and  she  remained  undecided  whether  to  stay  or 
go;  but  observing  that  I  kept  my  ground,  she  took  her 
resolution,  and  covering  herself  with  a  linen  cloth  she 
had  at  hand,  ventured  across  the  yard.  At  other  times 
she  had  only  her  arms  to  screen  her  face  from  my  view ; 
but  having  always  something  to  carry  in  her  hands^  this 
H  a 


90 


rxpcdicnt  j)ro\«.d  wry  inconvenient  to  her,  and  by  \va 
of  remed)'  she  would  lift  up  tiie  corner  ol  the  handkcr 
chief  she  had  about  her  neck,  and  convert  it  into  a  vei 
This  was  robbing  Peter  to  pay  Paul,  for  it  left  her  b 
som  bare :  Again  endeavouring  to  hide  one  part,  sh 
exposed  the  other;  and  whenever  any  thing  fell  ou 
of  her  hand,  she  would  stoop  down  to  recover  it,  an 
then  both  face  and  neck  were  exposed.  I  should  scare 
ly  have  conceived  it  possible,  that  so  much  bashfulnes 
and  so  much  coquetry  could  be  united;  and  I  confes 
that  at  any  other  time,  1  should  have  enjoyed  this  littl 
intrigue  much  longer. 

An  incident  of  a  very  different  nature,  however,  oc- 
curred just  as  we  were  taking  leave  of  this  place:  Alex- 
andor  Schulkins,  who  was  looking  out  of  the  window, 
exclaimed,  "  A  Senate-courier!"  and  instantly  hallooed 
out  to  him,     who  are  you  looking  tor?*' 

"  For  you,"  was  the  reply.  This  answer  threw  me 
into  gre.it  agitation  of  mind ;  my  knees  shook,  and  I 
was  incapable  of  seeing  any  t]}ing  around  me.  A  cou- 
rier from  the  senate!  said  1  to  myself.  What  can  h e 
want?  Surely  his  errand  concerns  me  !  Alas,  no  !— /rw( 
•Senators  were  travelling  to  Siberia  to  inspect  the  go- 
vernment. The  Courier  who  attended  them,  hearing 
of  our  arrival,  had  come  to  see  Alexander  Schulkins,  his 
old  comrade.  Never  in  my  life  did  I  experience  so 
painful  an  iilunon.  It  was  long  before  1  could  recover 
either  my  senses  or  the  use  of  my  limb?.*  From  this  mo- 
ment I  gave  up  all  hopes  of  being  overtaken  by  a  cou- 
rier, and  in  the  same  proportion  that  I  had  hitherto 
wished  to  defer  my  depaiture,  I  now  eagerly  desired  to 
.'.ccelcrate  it.  I  became  anxious  to  know  ir.y  fate,  in 
order  to  inform  my  wife  of  it,  and  without  loss  of  time  to 
present  my  memorial  to  the  Emperor. 

WeleftCasan  the  17  th  of  May,  old  style,  anfthough 
the  season  was  agreeably  warm,  we  still  found  great 
quantities  of  snow  in  the  woods.    The  distance  from  Ca- 
san  to  Perm  is  nearly  six  hundred  verstes :  the  routerun 
*all  the  way  through  forests,  in  which  we  often  travellc 
four  German  miles  together  without  seeing  a  single  vi) 
hjge.    The  road  is  wide  and  pretty  level ;  it  i?,  how- 


9i 


over,  frequently  intersected  by  swamps,  and  being  re- 
paired with  faggots,  the  traveller  is  almost  jolted  to  death. 

We  met  several  companies  of  robbers,  chained  in  cou- 
ples, wlio  were  marching  on  foot  to  the  mines  of  Nerts- 
chiusk  among  them  I  observed  several  women.  They 
were  escorted  by  the  peasantry  of  the  neiglibourhood :  aii 
they  passed,  they  asked  our  charity.  Alas!  though  rid- 
ing in  a  carriage,  I  \vas  certainly  more  unfortunate  than 
they  were.  Sufferings  are  to  be  measured  by  the  mind. 
The  sight  of  these  wretches,  the  gloominess  of  the  fo- 
rest, the  recitals  of  the  horrid  murders  committed  in  tliese 
deserts,  not  a  little  conspired  to  aggravate  my  melancho- 
ly :  but,  O  God  of  consolation,  thou  aidest  the  unhappy 
when  overwhelmed  with  sorrows,  and  sendest  hope  to 
comfort  them  !  Yes,  even  in  this  forest  that  benign  star 
began  to  shine  upon  me.  It  shone  indeed  at  a  distance^pv 
but  it  shed  a  beam  that  penetrated  the  dark  gloom  tliat 
hung  over  my  soul.  It  gradually  dispersed,  and  my 
heart,  while  1  am  penning  this  passage,  still  feels  its  en- 
couraging glow.  I  cannot  now  mention  whence  this 
sudden  alteration  arose;  perhaps  I  may  never  avow  it.f 
Should  I  ever  be  able  to  do  so,  it  must  be  after  having 
realised  this  pleasing  hope.  Let  me  only  add,  that  it  was 
founded  upon  my  wife's  affection ;  the  basis  indeed  was 
a  solid  one:  yes,  if  she  still  lived,  her  love  was  my  gua- 
rantee that  she  would  fly  to  my  assistance. 

We  arrive<kat  Perm  without  any  accident;  it  is  an 
impleasant  to#h,  and  our  Counsellor  had  not  a  single 
acquaintance  in  it.  We  lodged  at  a  clock-maker's,  who 
kept  a  sort  of  an  inn.  His  name  was  Rosenberg;  he 
was  born  at  Riga,  and  had  formerly  been  ir\  the  service 
of  Prince  Biron.  We  were  here  accommodated  with 
every  thing  that  we  wanted ;  and  I  now  began  to  per- 
ceive my  Counsellor  grew  less  mistrustful  of  me.  He 
frequently  left  me  quite  alone ;  and  the  box  in  which  my 
money  w  as  kept,  lay  near  me  unlocked  on  the  table.  I 

*  These  companies  are  often  six  months  on  their  way. 

t  My  hopes  originated  in  the  plan  of  an  escape  which  I  had 
formed  and  expected  to  execute  with  the  assistance  of  mv  wifg. 
This  will  be  explained  in  the  secjuel.  * 


92 


availed  myself  of  a  moment  that  seemed  so  favourable  to 
my  design,  and  took  out  a  hundred  roubles.  This  idea 
of  robbing  my  own  store,  occurred  to  me  as  a  kind  of  pre- 
sentiment, that  it  was  soon  going  to  be  attacked  for  the 
last  time.  Our  Counsellor,  on  his  return,  asked  me  for 
some  more  money,  and  I  refused  him  without  any  cere- 
mony. He  then  grew  so  much  out  of  humour,  that  I 
determined  to  open  the  box  before  him.  *'  See/'  said  I, 
"  here  are  only  one  hundred  and  ten  roubles.  What  a 
small  sum,  in  my  present  situation,  in  a  strange  country, 
and  in  want  of  absolute  necessaries !  This  is  all  I  have 
to  subsist  on  till  I  can  procure  a  supply  from  a  family  at 
five  hundred  German  mi^s  distance.  Here  are,  how- 
ever, fifty  roubles  ;  if'^oiNfffe  not  satisfied  with  these,  do 
your  worst ;  but  I  know  how  to  find  redress."  He  ap- 
|||eared  to  be  struck  with  these  last  words,  and,  becom- 
ing more  complaisant,  took  the  fifry  roubles,  and  ceased 
to  torment  me.  His  principles,  it  seems,  were  quite  op- 
posite to  those  of  seamen,  who  are  rough  and  boisterous 
at  the  beginning  of  the  voyage,  but  grow  kind  and  friend- 
ly towards  the  end  of  it ;  whereas,  the  nearer  we  drew 
to  our  destination,  the  more  uncivil  our  Counsellor  be- 
came. Doubtless  nothing  but  the  fear  of  my  elopement 
bad  induced  him  to  assume  a  decency  of  manners,  and 
now  that  he  ng  longer  entertained  any  apprehensions  on 
that  head,  he  began  to  think  there  was  no  longer  any  ne-  ^ 
cessity  for  restraint  upon  his  behaviour,  jj/jt 

We  were  on  the  point  of  setting  out  fi^m  I  know  not 
what  post,  at  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  when 
fi  dark  storm  burst  over  us,  and  it  began  to  thunder.  I 
entreated  the  Counsellor,  in  the  mo>t  pressing  manner, 
to  defer  our  departure  till  the  storm  had  abated ;  but  he 
positively  refu:^ed.  I  rej)resented  the  dangers  we  had  to 
dread  from  such  tempestuous  weather,  that  our  horses 
had  iron  about  them,  that  the  carriage  contained  much  ! 
of  that  metal,  and  that  such  conductors  alone  were  suffi- 
cient to  attract  the  lightning.  He  told  me  with  a  sneer 
that  all  that  was  an  idle  story.  I  added,  that  prudent 
travellers  generally  got  out  of  their  carriages,  and  chose 
some  open  spot  to  remain  inj  when  overtaken  by  thun- 


93 


I  der-storras.  But  my  Counsellor  still  sneered  at  me,  and 
1  asked  me  how  I  could  give  credit  to  such  trash.  Irri- 
j  tated  not  only  at  his  want  of  complaisance,  but  likewise 
I  at  his  ignorance,  which  certainly  ought  not  to  have  vex- 
I  ed  me  at  all,  I  threw  myself  into  the  carriage.  Why 
i  should  I  dread  death  ?  said  I  to  myself.  Only  creatures 
i  like  this  man  should  fear  it  j  for  \\  hat  has  he  to  expect 
beyond  the  grave  ? 

We  continued  our  route,  and  the  claps  of  thunder  grew 
more  loud  and  frequent.  We  passed  over  a  heath  which 
on  one  side  the  road  was  in  a  blaze.  This  kind  of  con- 
;  flagration  is  different  from  that  of  a  wood.  The  flame 
^  crawls  along  in  a  serpentine  direction,  at  one  time  quick, 
i  at  another  slow.  Sometimes  it^'darts  upwards,  but  nc 
i  ver  continues  long  in  that  direction  ;  sometinifes  it  lurks 
I  concealed  and  concentrated,  till  it  finds  fresh  fuel  to  feed 
j  upon.  -  * 

I  Although  this  fire  was  by  no  means  dangerous,  yet  the 
spectacle  altogether  was  exceedingly  terrible.  Here  the 
,  flames  of  the  heath  and  under-wood  crackled  ;  there  the 
lightning  flashed,  and  the  heavens  were  all  on  fire. — 
Such  were  the  combined  horrors  of  the  route  for  several 
verstes  together,  when  at  length  we  cam.e  to  a  wood  of 
fir  and  birch  of  small  extent.  Having  cleared  the  wood, 
we  found  the  country  all  under  water.  A  bridge  of 
boats  lay  on  the  bank  for  the  purpose  of  ferrying  over  to 
a  village  on  other  side,  but  it  was  unattended  and 
empty.  Th^pindation  extended  so  far,  that  we  stood 
at  a  great  distance  from  the  village,  where  the  boatmen 
were  now  regaling  themselves.  We  called  loudly  for 
these  men,  but  remained  a  considerable  time  before  we 
!  could  be  heard  :  at  last  a  man  crossed  over  to  us  in  a 
small  boat.  Though  the  raft  had  but  one  rope,  and  the 
water  we  had  to  cross  was  stagnant,  yet  I  was  of  opin- 
ion that  a  single  boatman  was  insufficient  for  the  purpose 
•  of  ferrying  us  over :  but  the  Counsellor  was  determined 
to  try  the  experiment,  and  accordingly  ordered  the  man 
to  bring  the  raft  to  the  bank.  The  boatman  replied  that 
he  could  not  do  so  on  account  of  ^he  shallows,  as  it 
would  drive  the  raft  aground,  which,  with  our  additional 


94 


weight,  could  not  be  got  off  a^ain  ;  but  the  man  added,  j 
that  we  had  five  good  horses,  which  were  well  able  to 
draw  us  to  the  raft.  We  therefore  proceeded,  the 
wheels  sunk  in  stiff  clay ;  four  horses  reached  the  raft, 
but  the  fifth,  endeavouring  to  do  the  same,  slipped  back, 
and  remained  with  his  hind  parts  deep  in  the  water,  and 
at  last  floundered  on  one  side ;  nor  could  any  means  in- 
duce him  to  get  upon  his  legs  again.  In  the  mean  time 
the  other  horses  kept  pulling  on.  My  companions  had 
jumped  out  of  the  carriage;  I  remained  in  it,  secretly  de- 
lighted at  what  had  happened.  At  length,  observing 
that  the  slight  rope  which  fastened  the  raft  was  likely  to 
be  broken  by  the  struggles  of  the  horses,  I  thought  il 
would  be  imprudent  not  to  follow  their  example,  and  1 
accordingly  stepped  into  the  water,  and  climbed  on  board 
the  raft.  The  Counsellor  took  the  whip,  and  mounted 
the  driver's  seat;  the  postilion  held  the  horses  by  t^ie 
reins,  the  courier  beat  them  forwards  with  the  bough  of 
a  tree,  the  boatmen  laid  hold  of  the  rope,  and  I  remain- 
ed with  my  arms  folded,  and  my  feet  wet,  exposed  to  a 
'most  violent  shower  of  rain.  In  the  midst-  of  all  this 
bustle,  a  thunderbolt  fell  upon  a  birch  tree.  The  report 
was  terrible.  They  all  let  fall  their  arms,  and  only  rais- 
ed them  again  to  make  a  thousand  signs  of  the  cross  up- 
on their  breasts  and  foreheads.  Gospodin  poinila  was 
repeated  inces!;anily.  The  Counsellor  was  confounded, 
and  the  Courier  upbraided  him  with  not  Jfl^g  listened 
to  his  advice.    I  smiled,  but  did  not  utt^(|K\'ord. 

The  distance  from  Perm  to  Tobolsk  is  computed  to  be 
nine  hundred  verstes,  but  the  road  and  the  country  are 
far  superior  to  those  between Casan and  Perm.  Instead 
of  those  gloomy  forests  of  pine,  we  now  saw  young  woods 
of  birch  intermixed  with  extensive  and  fertile  fields,  in 
a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  opulent  villages,  .either 
Russian  or  TartJ^r,  situated  at  no  great  distance  from 
each  other.  The  c:ountenances  of  the  peasants  appear  so 
contented  and  cheerful  on  Sundays  and  holidays,  that 
tlie  traveller  can  scarcely  persuade  himself  he  is  really 
in  Siberia.  In  these  villages  the  houses  are  much  cleaner 
than  in  those  of  the  other  Russians.  The  inns  Jiavc  each 


95 


two  room;? ;  the  common  one,  called  the  isba,  and  tlie 
ther  tlie  gornitza.  These  chambers  hav^whidows 
ziazed  with  transparent  pebble  ;  there  are  tables  cover- 
ed v/ilh  decent  tapestry,  and  a  variety  of  fine  images 
arc  placed  in  every  corner.  They  are  furnished  also 
with  many  household  utensils,  which  we  had  not  seen 
in  any  of  the  peasants'  houses  for  a  considerable  distance ; 
such  as  glasses,  cups  and  saucers,  &c.  I  likewise  re- 
marked more  lio>pitality  among  the  people  of  these  parts 
than  even  among  the  Russians,  whose  language,  I  should 
observe,  bears  no  resemblance  to  theirs. 

On  working-days  the  country  seems  to  be  thinly  in- 
Jiabited ;  one  may  travel  for  hours  together  widiout 
incL  uig  a  single  man,  and  yet  these  apparently  desert 
iands  are  so  extremely  fertile,  that  they  appear  as  if  they 
were  cultivated  by  magic.  Every  holiday  the  young 
gifls,  clad  in  white  and  red,  or  in  blue,  resort  to  the  vil- 
lage green,  and  entertain  themselves  with  singing  and 
danciiig.  The  young  men  have  their  own  amusem.ents ; 
parties  of  them  were  less  frequently  seen  than  of  the 
other  sex,  gnd  were  less  numerous,  which  must  be  attri- 
buted to  the  late  levies,  which  had  considerably  diminish- 
ed their  number  in  these  parts,  I  did  not  observe  the 
indiscriminate  mixture  of  the  sexes  in  any  of  their  sp.orts. 
I  saw  a  great  number  of  children,  most  of  whom  were, 
however,  born  in  the  reign  of  Catharine. 

The  pezgfcDts  in  general  cherish  a  tender  remembrance 
of  the  latelB||^)ress :  they  call  her  matuschka  (little  mo- 
ther.) On  the  contrary,  they  seldom  speak  of  her  son, 
the  present  Emperor,  and  when  they  do^  it  is  with  great 
reserve. 

In  all  the  government  of  Perm,  Ekaterinabur  Is  the 
only  town  of  importance.  Here  the  Counsellor  disco- 
vered my  writings,  which  threw  him  into  a  violent  rage. 
Had  I  not  prevented  him,  he  would  have  torn  my  books. 

I  shall  let  the  Governor  see  these,"  said  he.  You 
may,  if  you  please,"  replied  I ;  "  they  contain  nothing 
more  than  the  draught  of  a  memorial  which  I  intend  to 


*  Celebrated  fojf  the  mines  in  its  neighbourhood 


96. 

present  io  tlie  Emperor;  and  I  began  the  task  with 
much  the  more  confidence,  as  you  had  assured  me, 
the  most  positive  terms,  this  indulgence  would  be  grant 
ed  me."    "  That,"  replied  he,     will  depend  on  th 
last  instructions  sent  to  the  Governor."    "  What,"  sai 
I,     then  vou  are  not  certain,  after  all  your  oaths,  that 
am  to  remain  at  Tobolsk  !  And  yet  you  assured  me, 
the  word  and  honour  of  a  man,  that  that  city  was  to 
the  end  of  my  journey!" 

He  appeared  to  be  confounded,  and  assured  me  aga 
that  he  was  not  the  bearer  of  any  order  that  implieil-fny 
being  sent  further  than  Tobolsk.  Here  he  paused:  my 
reproaches  doubtless  made  him  forget  what  cl^e  he  had 
to  say ;  at  least  he  said  no  more.  He  had,  however, 
renewed  my  anxiety ;  my  fate  still  appeared  to  be  Unde- 
cided. 

Tiumen  was  the  first  town  we  came  to  on  the  frontiers 
of  Siberia.  We  passed  through  a  forest  about  forty  verstes 
short  of  this  place,  in  which  the  direction-posts  indicate 
that  the  traveller  is  already  in  the  jurisdiction  of  To- 
bolsk. The  Counsellor  was  inhuman  enougli  to  point  to 
these  posts,  and  to  explain  the  intention  of  them.  I 
made  no  reply,  though  my  heart  was  bursting  with  an- 
guish. Alas !  was  it  not  enough  to  be  a  prey  to  all  the 
ills  that  a  ({uick  sense  of  feeling  created  within  me  ? — 
Was  it  necessary  that  this  executioner  should  resort  to 
outward  objects  to  increase  my  sufferingj#  I  was  now 
actually  in  Siberia;  and  a  circumstanceilPlurred  at  the 
first  post,  not  at  all  calculated  to  assuage  the  agony  of 
mind  I  had  suffered  at  the  sight  of  the  direction-posts. — 
I  shall  relate  the  anecdote,  which  inflicted  torments  up- 
on my  hc^rt  never  to  be  forgotten. 

\Vc  stopped  to  change  horses  at  a  village,  and  as  I 
Was  sitting  at  the  door  of  a  cottage,  breaking  some  bread 
into  a  bowl  of  milk,  an  old  man  of  sixty,  whose  hair 
and  beard  were  white  as  snow,  threw  himself  on  the 
ground,  and  inquired  with  extreme  earnestness  if  we  had 
brought  him  any  letters  from  Revel.  I  fixed  my  eyes 
steadfastly  upon  him  ;  I  doubted  whether  I  had  rightly 
i^id<M  5;tood  him,  upon  which  a  woman,  v^ho  was  stanti 


97 


I  ing  by,  whispered  me;  ''this  man  has  lost  his  senses : 
he  starts  from  his  bed  every  time  he  hears  of  the  arri^'al 

1  of  a  stranger,  and  always  asks  the  same  question/*-— 
"  Give  me  a  piece  of  paper/'  continued  she,  '*  and  I 
will  pacify  him ;  otherwise  you  will  have  much  trouble 
with  him/for  he  will  persist  in  staying  here,  and  tire  vou 
with  his  lamentations/*    She  then  pretended  to  read  a 

j  letter  to  him,  beginning  with  these  words — My  dear 

I  husband,  1  am  in  perfect  health,  as  likewise  are  all  our 
children.  Make  yourself  easy,  we  shall  soon  be  with 
you/' 

The  old  man  appeared  (o  listen  with  extreme  delight 
— s-.iniled  and  stj-oked  his  beard  ;  then  taking  the  pa- 
per in  his  hand,  he  pressed  it  to  his  bosom.  He  now  re- 
lated very  rationally  that  he  had  formerly  been  a  soldier, 
ai^-had  served  on  board  the  Revel  fleet,  at  Cronstadt, 
and  at  other  places;  he  added  that  he  was  an  invalid, 
that  he  had  just  left  his  wife,  and  that  she  was  now  with 
her  children  at  Revel.  The  woman  told  us  that  he  had 
left  them  thirty  years  ago;  the  poor  man  vehementlv 

'  contradicted  her,  and  then  seated  himself  on  the  end  of 
the  bench,  where  my  two  gentlemen  were  amusing  them- 

j  selves  in  their  old  way,  and  of  whom  he  appeared  to 
take  no  notice.  After  this,  he  uttered  some  words  which 
I  could  not  well  hear,  then  cried  out  aloud,  '*My  dear- 
est, where  art  thou  at  this  moment?  Art  thou  at  Revel, 

[  at  Riga,  or  at  Petersburg  ?" — These  words  were  so  ap- 

I  plicable  to  m|j|p|^n  situation,  that  I  had  scarcely  strengtli 
enough  to  risefrom  my  seat,  and  retire  to  conceal  my 
tears.  This  good  old  m.an,  thought  I,  exhibits  a  picture 
of  what  ere  long  I  may  be.  Deprived  of  reason,  I  may 
perhaps  one  day  loiter  about  the  road,  and  ask  the  pas- 
sengers if  th'ey  have  any  letters  from  Revel.  Even  now  I 
may  exclaim,  like  him,  "  My  dearest,  where  art  thou  at 
this  moment  ?  Art  thou  at  Petersburg,  at  Riga,  or  at  Re- 
vel r"  Never,  O  never,  did  I  experience  such  a  pain- 
ful moment !  The  image  of  the  old  man  is  forever  en- 
graven on  my  memory;  it  is  present  to  me  when  I 
awake ;  it  haunts  me  in  my  dreams,  and  is  eternally  be- 
fore me,  H 

I 


98 


The  carriage  was  rcad_y  before  I  had  well  recovered 
mv^elt";  iny  companions,  who  saw  me  lay  aside  the  bowl 
ol  milk,  could  not  conceive  what  ailed  mc,  nor  did  I  ac- 
quaint tiicm  with  tlic  state  of  my  feelings,  which  would 
oidy  have  incuij  cd  tlieir  ridicule.  I  almost  blush  to  re- 
late, that  on  leavir.g  the  poor  lunatic,  I  made  him  a  small 
present.  Tlie  man  who,  for  the  long  space  of  thirty-fivc 
years,  had  never  lost  sight  of  his  family,  was  a  being  of 
no  common  stamp;  nor  could  the  sufferings  of  his  heart 
be  relieved  by  money;  he  received  what  I  gave  him 
with  perfect  indil7erence,  and  without  thanks.  I  felt 
^he  blood  rise  into  my  cheeks,  and  I  covered  my  face  as 
i  left  him.  Such  was  my  entrance  into  Siberia,  The 
Irtisch  and  the  Tobol  had  deluged  the  country  for  some 
miles  round ;  we  were  therefore  obliged  to  leave  our  car- 
riage, and  to  embark  with  our  baggage  on  board  a  slight 
barge.  The  day  was  warm,  and  the  boat  sailed  very 
fii^t.  My  companions  began  to  snore,  and  left  me  at 
full  leisure  to  reflect  on  the  uncertainty  of  my  destina- 
tion. 

Three  hours  after  this  Tobolsk  appeared  at  a  short 
distance.  The  city  is  built  on  the  banks  of  the  Irtisch  ; 
its  steeples  produce  a  grand  effect,  and  tliat  part  of  the 
town,  w^hich  is  called  the  citadel,  where  tl>e  Governor's 
palace  forms  a  prominent  object,  was  parti(ndarly  strik- 
ing ;  on  a  nearer  \'iew,  however,  it  appeared  partly  in 
ruins,  having  formerly  suf!'ered  by  fire.  It  was  now  that 
I  had  an  opportunity  of  fully  ascertaininy^e  diflerence 
between  the  coarse  but  kind  disposition  of  Alexander 
Schulkins,  and  the  unfeeling  apathy  of  the  Counsellor. 
When  the  latter  awoke,  he  gave  a  loose  to  the  most  inde- 
cent exuUations  of  delight,  and  laughed  immoderately, 
v/ithout  tlie  least  regard  to  that  delicacy  which  respect  for 
the  unfortunate  so  naturally  inspires.  He  appeared  lik** 
an  executioner,  who,  the  moment  he  has  taken  away  the 
life  of  a  lellow-creature,  assumes  a  look  of  satisfactio'^ 
and  applauds  his  own  dexterity.  The  Courief-,  on  ti 
contrary,  was  silent  and  dejected,  at  seeing  m.e  so  nc 
a  place  where  my  destiny  was  to  be  decided ;  he  gair, 

^n  me  by  stealth  from  time  to  time,  with  looks  of  soriL 

^nd  compassion. 


99 


We  entered  the  town  by  water  :  the  lower  parts  were 
overHovvn,  the  streets  were  full  of  boats,  in  which  the 
inhabitants  were  carr>  ing  on  the  necessary  business  of 
the  day. 

On  the  tenth  of  May,  in  the  afternoon,  we  landed 
near  the  great  market  place.*  Vv^e  procured  a  kibick, 
and  instantly  repaired  to  the  Governor's  house.  When 
we  arrived  at  the  door,  the  Counsellor  entered,  and  left 
me  in  the  carriage.  This  was  a  painful  quarter  of  an 
hour  indeed  !  The  servants  stared  at  me,  and  whispered 
one  another ;  all  this  gave  me  great  uneasiness.  At  last 
the  Counsellor  returned,  and  beckoned  me  to  follow  him. 
He  then  led  me  through  the  garden  to  a  summer-house, 
where  the  Governor  had  been  taking  an  afternoon's  nap. 
I  asked  my  conductor  if  I  was  to  remain  here  ;  and  he 
answered  me  dryly:  "Indeed,  Sir,  I  cannot  say."  The 
summer-house  was  open ;  I  with  a  firm  step  entered 
alone;  the  Counsellor  remained  without.  The  Governor, 
M.  de  Kuschelef,  who  had  been  represented  to  me  as  a 
very  humane  man,  by  the  people  at  Perm,  seemed  about 
forty  years  old ;  his  person  was  noble,  and  his  counte- 
nance full  of  intelligence.  His  first  words  were,  these  : 
Parle-vouz  Francois,  Monsieur  ?  The  question  drove  me 
almost  frantic  with  delight,  so  happy  was  I  to  be  at  length 
able  to  explain  myself.  Oui,  stammered  I,  with  great 
eagerness. 

He  then  begged  me  to  be  seated.  "  Your  name  is 
familiar  to  m<<pit  is  the  name  of  an  author." 

"Alas,  Sir!  I  am  myself  that  author.'*  "  How," 
cried  he,  "  can  that  be  possible?  What  has  occasioned 
you  to  be  brought  here  !"  "  I  imagined  your  Excellen- 
cy would  have  informed  me  of  that."  "  I  inform  you  ! 
I  am  utterly  ignorant  of  it.  See  what  the  order 
states:  you  are  President  de  Kotzebue  of  Kevel,  and 
you  are  consigned  to  my  custody."  (He  showed  me 
'  paper,  which  contained  only  five  or  six  lines.)  I 
not  come  fiom  Revel,"  said  I,  "  but  from  the  fron- 

Called  the  basar,  the  name  this  part  of  the  tO'A'n  bears  all 


100" 


tiers  of  Prussia/*  Perhaps  you  had  not  permission  t 
enter  Russia!"  I  had  a  passport  in  due  form,  signe 
by  the  Emperor,  and  expedited  by  his  order;  but  th 
passport  has  not  been  respected  :  on  the  contrary,  I  hav 
been  torn  from  the  arms  of  my  family,  in  order,  as  I  w 
told,  to  be  conveyed  to  Petersburg,  and  without  an 
iurther  explanation,  I  have  been  dragged  hither." 

The  Governor  was  about  to  speak,  but  he  sudden! 
checked  himself.  "  Do  you  know  nothing  more  th 
this?"  at  length  continued  he;  "  Do  you  suspect  an 
thing  which  might  have  been  laid  to  your  charge?"  " 
h:ive  not  the  least  suspicion  of  any  thing  whatever,"  r 
plied  I ;  "  may  I  perish.  Sir,  if  I  can  Ibrm  any  conjec- 
ture. Your  Excellency  may  easily  imagine  I  have  been 
racking  my  brains,  during  the  whole  journey,  to  disco- 
ver what  could  have  occasioned  this  proceeding:  but  I 
am.  unable  even  to  guess  at  the  cause."  . 

The  Governor,  after  a  short  pause,  continued :  "  | 
have  read  such  of  your  works  as  have  been  translate! 
into  the  Russian  language,  and  I  am  extremely  happy  tl 
be  acquainted  with  you ;  for  your  own  sake,  howevera 
I  could  have  wished  not  to  have  been  introduced  to  yoiJ 
here.** 

"  It  is  a  great  consolation,"  replied  I,  "  to  meet  with 
\i  man  of  your  worth,  and  1  flatter  myself  I  shall  be 
able  at  least  to  remain  in  this  neighbourhood."  Much 
as  I  should  gain  by  your  society,"  answered  he,  "  I  am 
unable  to  grant  your  request."  I  greW^ite  alarmed. 
"  I  must  not  hope  then  to  stay  here,"  cried  I,  in  the  bit- 
terness of  my  heart;  "  miserable  indeed  must  that  man 
be,  who  considers  the  privilege  of  remaining  at  Tobolsk 
an  indulgence  !  Must  I  drag  on  my  wretched  existence 
on  a  spot  still  more  remote  ?" 

Every  thing  in  my  power  shall  be  done  to  alleviate 
the  severity  of  your  situation,  but  my  orders  require  me 
to  assign  you  a  place  of  retirement  within  the  limits  ofi 
mv  government,  and  Tobolsk  is  expressly  excludedJ 
I  need  not  observe  that  1  cannot  act  against  my  instrue-1 
fions:  make  choice  of  any  town,  except  Tinmen,  wJiich, 
Mil  account  of  its  continuity  to  the  high  road,  cannot  I  •: 
allotted  yc'j," 


101 


I  am  an  utter  stranger  to  Siberia,  and  resign,  myself 
with  coniidence  to  your  Excellency's  goodness;  but, 
were  it  possible,  I  am  desirous  of"  being  at  no  great  dis- 
tance from  this  spot  V' 

He  immediately  named  Tschim,  as  the  nearest  town, 
which  is  situated  within  three  hundred  and  forty  verstes, 
-or  fifty  German  miles  from  Tobolsk  ;  "  but/*  continued 
he,  "  I  would  advise  you  to  prefer  Kurgan,*  a  hundred 
verstes  farther  off,  but  situated  in  a  milder  climate." — 
1*  Kurgan,'^  said  he  with  a  smile,  "  is  the  Italy  of  Sibe- 
fia.  You  will  even  find  wild  cherries  there ;  but  what 
is  of  more  importance,  the  state  of  society  there  is  very, 
agreeable." 

''J  am  at  present  so  exhausted,  that  I  wish,  if  it 
^ould  be  allowed  me,  to  remain  here  a  few  weeks  at 
Teast,  to  recover  my  strength."  The  Governor  paused  ; 
after  a  short  reflection — Yes,"  replied  he,  with  great 
goodness,  that  may  be  done,  and  I  will  obtain  you  the 
assistance  of  a  physician."  Another  request  laboured  in 
my  mind :  "  May  I  write  to  the  Emperor?"  said  I,  in  a 
^stammering  voice.  "  Certainly."  And  to  my  wife." 
"  Yes ;  but  that  can  Only  be  done  under  cover  to  the 
Crown  Advocate,  who  will  take  care  to  forward  the  let- 
ter, if  it  contains  nothing  suspicious." 

I  felt  myself  still  more  consoled :  he  gave  orders  that 
a  good  lodging  should  be  provided  for  me  in  the  town, 
and  I  took  my  leave  of  him,  as  did  the  Counsellor,  who, 
I  could  obsecup,  had  been  treated  with  very  little  consi- 
deration. 

"  Are  you  to  remain  here  ?"  said  the  Counsellor,  af- 
ter we  had  left  the  Governor's  palace.  "  No,"  replied 
i  coldly  ;  but  I  soon  after  related  the  whole  interview  to 
the  good-hearted  Schulkins.  The-  Counsellor  told  me 
tliat  the  Governor  had  asked  him  if  I  was  related  to  an 
author  of  my  name,  but  that  he  did  not  understand  what 
he  meant.  I  could  not  forbear  smiling  at  the  man's  stu- 
pidity :  nothing  indeed  could  be  more  ludicrous  than  his 
surprise  to  find  so  many  people  at  Tobolsk  acquainted 

*  It  is  written  in  this  manner,  but  pronounced  Kurgaliar^, 
I  a. 


102 


with  me,  and  to  observe  the  respect  and  attention  thi 
S-vas  paid  to  nie  there.  His  friends,  Maximoff  of  M( 
cow,  and  JustiteiTimofeiLsch  of  Casan,  had  said  nothini 
conecrning  me ;  and  to  speak  frankly,  I  was  myself  s\ir\ 
prised  to  discover  how  well  I  was  known,  and  to  me< 
such  kind-hearted  people  in  those  remote  and  savage  re 
gions. 

The  police  soon  pointed  out  the  lodging  commonly 
cupied  by  people  of  distinction  who  are  banished 
Siheria.  It  consisted  of  two  rooms;  it  belonged  to 
inhabitant  of  the  place;  and  as  this  man  was  compe  le^ 
to  furnish  the  rooms  without  receiving  any  retributioi 
he  had  not  been  at  all  solicitous  to  fit  them  up  in  a  ca^ 
pital  stile.  The  windows  were  broken,  the  walls  naked^ 
or  hung  with  ragged  old-fashioned  tapestry,  and^tiMfc, 
chambers  swarmed  with  insects.  Under  the  windowSj 
WLis  a  stagnant  pond  exhaling  putrid  vapours.  This  is 
bn  exact  picture  of  the  apartments,  but  they  were  far 
'rom  appearing  contemptible  in  the  eyes  of  a  man  who, 
t  few  minutes  betbre,  had  dreaded  being  consigned  to  a 
iaik  dungeon.  It  was  indeed  but  too  natural  to  expect 
^vi?ry  thing  that  was  dreadful;  having  been  dragged  in 
this  extraordinary  manner  into  Siberia,  I  had  no  security 
ti^at  a  prison  did  not  await  me  there ;  or  even  the  disci- 
pline of  the  knout,  had  my  persecutors  thought  fit  to  ad- 
inrnister  it  i  From  this  time  I  was  relieved  from  the  tor- 
ments of  uncertainty  ;  my  fate  seemed  to  be  decided.  I 
had  arrived  at  the  very  acme  of  miserjn  and  I  began 
calmly  to  contemplate  the  whole  extent  of  my  misfor- 
tune. 

By  means  of  a  little  civility  on  my  part,  which  appear- 
<=d  ro  stfike  my  host  as  a  novelty,  and  which  was  no- 
thmg  more  with  me  than  a  virtue  of  habit,  I  soon  pre- 
vailed on  him  to  accommodate  me  with  a  table  and  two 
wooden  stools.  It  would  have  been  vain  to  have  asked 
for  a  bedstead ;  b!!t  I  had  almost  forgotten  the  usc;  of 
one,  and  it  was  no  new  thing  to  me  to  spread  my  <  o ak 
on  the  grcmnd,  with  an  old  silk  surtout,  which  has  otter, 
served  a-  a  covering  for  my  youngest  child.  I  knf-w 
net  bo\v  it  liappened  that  tiie  maid  put  this  coat  iiiio  ih  : 


103 


carriage,  bat  I  am  exceedingly  obliged  to  her  care;  for 
i  the  sight  of  it  renewed  sensations  ot  a  very  endearing 
I  nature!  To  diese  coverings  I  added  a  mattress  which  I 
purchased  in  the  town.    Here,  said  I,  throwing  myselt* 
upon  it,  here  is  my  death-bed  ! 

An  hour  after  this  an  officer  of  the  police  made  his  ap- 
pearance to  take  formal  possession  of  my  person.  He 
received  me  from  the  hands  of  the  Counsellor,  witli  * 
whom.  Heaven  be  praised,  I  had  thenceforth  nothing 
more  to  do!  This  otficer,  whose  name  was KatatinsrCij 
was  a. man  of  a  most  agreeable  figure:  he  was  attended  • 
I  by  a  single  subaltern.  I  shall  call  every  day,*'  said 
!  he,  but  merely  tor  the  sake  of  form,  to  pay  yoii  a  v  isit, 
and  to  know  how  you  are ;  for  I  must  make  a  daii)  re- 
^rt concerning  you.  This  man,  indeed  (alluding  to  the 
subaltern)  must  remain  continually  about  you,  but  less  as 
a  guard  than  as  a  person  ready  to  serve  you." 

The  Counsellor,  happy  to  have  done  with  me,  U>)\d 
me  on  going  awav,  that  he  should  im^mediafelv  introciuf/e 
a  ii-iend  of  his  to  me,  whom  he  had  brought  into  Siberia 
'  the  preceding  summer,  and  of  whom  he  had  a]iead\r 
I  spoken  in  very  flattering  terms  on  the  road;  but  as  his 
praise  was  no  recommendation  with  me,  I  had  no  desire 
to  make  this  new  acquaintance.    My  surprise  was,  how- 
ev€*r,  the  more  agreeable^  when  he  introduced  JM.  Kini- 
akoff,  one  of  the  best  informed  young  men  I  had  ever 
met  with.    He  accosted  me  in  French,  assured  me  he 
had  repeatedl5ftread  my  works,  and  said  many  handsoml 
I  -things  to  mc  on  that  subject.    He  offered  me  his  services, 
I  lamented  that  I  had  experienced  the  same  misfortune 
that  had  befallen  him,  and  particularly  that  I  had  tra- 
i  veiled  in  such  bad  company  ;  zuitk  mch  a  miscreant  /— 
j  That  was  the  flattering  appellation  with  which  he  honour- 
j  ed  the  Counsellor. 

**■  But  tliis  man  calls  himself  your  friend." 
Heaven  preserve  me  from  such  a'friend  !  You  must 
■tihink  I  wished  to  keep  on  good"  terms  with  him,  and  this 
I  still  continue  to  do." 
Kijiifikof^';,  the  son  of  a  man  of  rank  of  the  town  of 


104 


8imbiesk,*  had  been  sent  to  Siberia,  with  two  of  fH 
brothers,  and  some  other  oflicers,  for  having  lampoonea 
the  Emperor.  He  alone  had  the  good  fortune  to  remain' 
at  Tobolsk ;  two  others  of  them  had  Irkutzk  for  their 
prison  ;  his  youngest  brother  was  loaded  with  fetters,  and 
closelv  confined  in  a  small  fortress  four  thousand  vern. 
from  Tobolsk;  another  in  the  dreadfiil  Beresow,  a  pla( . 

•quailing  in  horrors  all  that  can  be  imagined  of  the  in- 

I  j  nal  regions. 

I  derived  no  small  consolation  from  meeting  with  a 
vjfic.n  who  appeared  endowed  with  noble  sentiments,  and 
with  whom,  from  the  first  quarter  of  an  hour  after  our. 
juecting,  I  felt  myself  as  familiat  as  if  he  had  been  an 
old  acquaintance.  He  promised  me  books;  what  luxu- 
ry " — From  him  I  learnt  that  the  Emperor  had  proscribe^ 
All  foreign  literature  throughout  his  dominions,  and  that 
m  V  })ieces  werfe  frequently  acted  at  Tobolsk,  in  an  in- 
di  fferent  manner  indeed,  but  witli  great  applause  ;  he 
Jjtkewis**  was  pleased  to  add,  that  my  arrival  here  v;  as 
more  talked  of  than  that  of  half  a  dozen  generals  in  chief 
would  have  been.  He  even  offered  me,  with  the  Gov^er- 
rioi^s  leave,  his  house  and  his  table.  We  conversed 
together  more  than  an  hour,  and  parted  highly  satisfied 
with  each  other.  Among  otlier  vi^-itors.  Baron  de  Som- 
mmwg?,  a  Lieutenant  Colonel  in  the  Austrian  service, 
and  knight  of  the  order  of  Maria  Theresa,  did  me  the 


quence  of  a  love  afl^air,  while  he  waiat  Higa,  and  his  ri- 
val, a  man  of  more  interest  than  himself,  had  procured 
his  exile,  v.ithout  reaping  any  advantage  from  it;  for 
the  young  lady,  a  girl  of  eighteen,  whom  Sommaruga, 
had  married,  soon  after  left  her  relations,  and  flew  to 
Tobolsk  to  share  the  mi.^fbrtunes  of  her  husband.  She 
undertook  this  long  journey  without  knowing -a  word  of 
the  Russian  language,  and  under  the  sole  escort  of  a 
common  courier.  •*  Hearing  at  Moscow  that  her  husband 
lay  ill  at  Twer,  she  instantly  flew  to  him,  and  after  tliat 


He  had  fought  a  duel  in  conse- 


*  A  place  situated  two  hundred  verstcs  to  the  south  of  Ca- 
san,  in  a  very  temperate  climate. 


105 


accompanied  him  to  Tobolsk,  where  I  have  often  wit- 
nessed her  unshaken  attachment.    She  has  evinced  great 
kindness  towards  me.    Not  knowing  how  to  cook  vic- 
tuals, I  frequently  made  my  meal  upon  a  slice  of  dry 
bread.    From  this  lady,  however,  I  have  more  than  once 
I  received  a  portion  of  her  soup  and  roast  meat. 
I     I  also  saw  here  Count  de  Soltikovv,  a  man  advanced 
!  in  years,  and  in  affluent  circumstances,  who  had  been 
exiled  for  usurious  practices.     He  kept  a  good  house 
here,  and  was  a  very  agreeable  companion :  through  his 
means  I  was  furnished  with  newspapers. 

Three  tradesmen  from  Moscow,  two  Frenchmen  and 
a  German,  increased  the  number  of  unfortunate  exiles  at 
this  place,  having  been  concerned  in  smuggling  transac- 
tioDS  to  the  amount  of  not  more  than  two  hundred  rou- 
bles. Tlie  latter,  whose  name  is  Becker,  is  a  very  worthy 
and  friendly  man.  His  wife  has  just  feft  him  in  order 
to  solicit  his  recal,  and  if  she  should  not  succeed,  she  in- 
tends to  return  here  with  her  children.  I  embraced  the 
hopes  that  this  opportunity  would  likewise  enable  my 
own  family  to  join  me  here. 

I  also  received  the  visits  of  four  Poles,  who  had  been 
I  sent  into  exile  for  imprudencies  of  a  political  nature, — 
I  They  were  poor,  though  of  noble  birdi,  and  received  , 
I  each  an  allowance  from  the  state  of  twenty  copecks,  or 
about  ten  French  sols  a  day.    In  a  word,  my  chamber 
was  crowded  with  guests,  a  circumstance  extremely  in^ 
convenient  to  me ;  -and  I  felt  relieved  when  the  approach 
of  night  enabled  me  to  retire  to  my  bed,  and  to  the  in- 
dulgence of  my  own  reflections. 

.  In  the  course  of  the  night  a  remarkable  circumstance 
took  place,  the  explanation  of  which  I  must  leave  to  my 
good  friends  Doctors  Gall  and  Hufeland.  I  had  fallen 
asleep;  towards  twelve  oVlock  I  awoke,  and  fancied 
myself  on  board  a  ship.  I  not  only  felt  the  rocking  mo- 
tion of  the  vessel,  but  heard  the  flapping  of  the  sails,  and 
the  noise  and  bustle  of  the  crew.  As  I  lay  on  the  floorj 
J  could  see  no  objects  through  the  window,  except  the 
sky,  and  this  circumstance  added  to  the  force  of  the  illu- 
sion.   1  was  sensible  it  was  such,  and  endeavoured  to 


■  106 

overcome  it.  I  felt  myself,  as  it  were,  furnished  wi 
two  separate  mind:^,  the  one  confirmed  what  I  fanci 
the  other  convinced  me  that  it  was  all  imaginary, 
staggered  about  the  room,  though  I  saw  the  Counsell 
and  every  thing  that  surrounded  me  the  evening  befo 
remaining  absolutely  in  the  same  place.  I  went  to 
window;  the  wooden  houses  in  the  streets  1  thought  we 
ships,  and  in  every  direclion  I  perceived  the  open  s 
Whither  am  I  going  ?  seemed  to  say  one  mind.  N 
where,  replied  the  other ;  you  are  still  in  your  own  apa 
ment.  This  singular  sensation,  which  I  cannot  w 
describe,  continued  for  half  an  hour ;  by  degrees  it 
came  less  powerful,  and  at  length  entirely  quitted  me, 
A  violent  palpitation.of  the  heart,  and  a  o.uick  convulsive 
pulse  succeeded.  Yet  I  was  not  feverish,  nor  did  I  feel 
any  head-ache.  My  O'.vn  opinion  and  conviction  is,  that 
the  whole  must  hcive  been  the  commencement  of  a  spe- 

.  cies  of  insanity. 

I  was  visited  by  Aulic-Counsellor  Paterson,  Surgeon- 
Major  of  the  town,  who  was  born  at  Revel.  He  as- 
cribed this  strange  delirium  to  the  fatigues  I  had  under- 
gone, both  of  body  and  mind.  This  explanation,  how- 
ever, appeared  unsatisfactory  to  me,  though  it  was  per- 

l  haps  the  best  that  could  be  given.  I  had  soon  reason  to 
entertain  a  very  favourable  opinion  of  this  worthy  per- 
son :  he  was  a  countryman  of  my  wife's,  and  he  quickly 

•gained  my  confidence  by  the  nol^le  frankness  of  his  be- 
naviour.  From  my  first  arrival  here,  he  gave  me  daily 
proof  of  his  humanity,  which  even  accompanied  me  to 
my  desert ;  for  it  is  to  him  that  I  am  indebted  for  many 
things  of  the  first  necessity, which,  at  Kurgan,  where  I  was 
compelled  to  be  my  own  physician,  were  of  invaluable 
service  to  me.  He  also  took  all  possible  pains  with  the 
Governor  in  order  to  procure  me  the  privilege  of  re- 
maining at  Tobolsk,  and  if  he"  was  not  successfuJ,  it  was 
merely  because  the  order  that  came  with  me  did  not  state 
whether  Tobolsk  or  the  government  of  Tobolsk  v/as 
be  the  place  of  my  exile.  In  the  latter  case,  tiic  :;p  .: 
not  being  positively  specified,  the  Governor  determine; 
as  he  thinks  tit.    All  my  new  friends  were  of  opi:ii:^ri. 


107 


that,  the  order  being  vague,  (he  Governor  had  it  in  his 
power  to  retain  me  at  Tobolsk ;  but,  according  to  eti- 
quette, he  could  not  assign  to  me  the  place  wliere  he 
jhimself  resides.  If  ever  he  loses  sight  of  this  rule,  it  is 
in  the  case  of  obscure  exiles,  and  where  there  is  good 
reason  to  suppose  that  no  inquiry  would  be  made  con- 
cerning them.  But  unfortunately  this  was  not  my  case, 
my  arrest  having  been  attended  v\i(h  such  singular  cir- 
cumstances, that  it  appeared  an  affair  of  no  small  im- 
portance. The  Governor  naturally  concluded,  that  he 
should  be  liable  to  those  secret  informations  which  are 
now  so  common :  in  short,  his  whole  conduc  t  convinced 
me  that  he  was  unable  to  grant  me  this  indulgence,  not- 
withstanding the  strong  plea  of  health  which  M.  Patersoii 
not  fail  to  urge.  I,  however,  received  hopes  of  ob- 
taming  permission  to  return  to  Tobolsk  whenever  mj 
health  required  it. 

As  soon  as  I  began  to  be  free  from  the  interruptions 
of  visits,  I  set  about  my  Memorial  to  the  Emperor,  and 
as  1  had  already  sketched  the  outline,  the  task  was  not 
difficult.  It  contained  eighteen  articles,  and  it  is  a  du- 
ty I  owe  to  my  reputation,  as  well  as  to  my  wife  and 
children,  to  insert  an  extract  in  this  place,  that  my  inno- 
cence and  the  whole  tenor  of  my  conduct  may  be  exhi- 
bited hi  the  strongest  light.  It  includes  a  short  sketch 
of  my  hie,  both  public  and  private,  upon  which  so  many 
falsehoods,  or  at  least  so  many  ambiguous  stories,  have^ 
been  universally  propagated.  *  I 

jr. 

Memorial  inhehaJf  of  the  unfortunate  Kotzebue,  zvith 
corroborating  Documents  contained  in  the  Papers  tvkich 
iiQie  been  taken  from  him.  Translated  from  the  origi- 
md  French.'* 

ARTICLE  I. 

KOTZEBUE,  a  native  of  Weimar,  son  to  the  late 
Counsellor  of  Legation^  Kotzebue,  was  called  to  Peters- 

*  A  part  of  this  was  draw»  ur  at  Kurgan  ;  Its  sequel,  and 
•he  subsequent  contents  of  this  book,  I  did  not  compose  till  9. 
:•  period. 


103 


burg  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  at  the  instance  ot  Count 
Goiz,  a  friend  of  his  father's,  then  Envoy  from 
Court  of  Berlin,    He  was  appointed  Secretary  toM. 
Eawr,  Engineer-General,  whom  he  served  with  prob 
in  many  atlhirs  of  importance,  and  with  whom  he  co 
iinuedtill  the  decease  of  the  General. 

Proof, — TheGeneral  recommended  him  in  his  will 
the  late  Empress,  and  that  Princess,  by  virtue  of  an 
menoi-uku.se,  *  named  him  a  titular  Counsellor,  and 
dered  him  to  be  employed  in  the  Administration  of  R 
vel,  at  that  time  newly  organized. 

ARTICLE  II. 

Kotzebue  acted  in  the  capacity  of  Assessor  in  t 
Court  of  Appeals  in  Revel,  in  1783,  and  exercised  that 
office  during  two  years  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  superior 
Judges. 

Proof. — Count  Browne,  the  Governor-General,  re- 
commended him  to  the  vacant  place  of  President  of  the 
Magistracy,  a  station  which  confers  the  rank  of  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel, and  the  Senate  thereupon  appointed  him 
in  1785. 

ARTICLE  III. 

Kotzebue  filled  this  office  for  ten  successive  years, 
without  incurring  (he  least  reproach. 

First  Proof — When  Kotzebue,  at  the  end  of  ten 
vears,  was  obliged  to  ask  his  dismission  on  account  of  the 
impaired  state  of  his  health,  he  received  it  with  advanc- 
ed rank.  ^The  ukase  to  this  effect  is  among  his  sealed-up 
papers. 

Second  Proof. — A  certificate  was  signed  by  the  Go- 
vernor of  Revel,  relative  to  the  irreproachable  manner 
in  which  he  executed  the  duties  of  his  office.  The  origi- 
nal instrument  is  among  the  papers  which  are  sealed  up. 

ARTICLE  IV. 

Kotzebue  retired  to  the  country  in  1795,  and  built  a 
small  villa  called  Friedenthal,  at  the  distance  of  forty- 
eight  verstes  from  Narva,  a  spot  on  which  he  resided 

*  A  special  ukase ;  that  is,  one  signed  by  the  Empress's  o 
hand. 


109 


11!  the  end  of  (he  year  1797,  in  the  midst  of  his  famil)', 
md  in  the  service  of  the  muses.  He  was  then  invited 
o  Vienna,  as  Manager  of  the  Court  Theatre ;  the  terms 
jeing  very  advantageous,  he  left  his  vill^i,  and  consider- 
xl  the  sacrifice  he  made  as  an  offering  due  to  his  chil- 
Iren.  He  had  asked  and  obtained  the  Monarch's  con- 
cnt. 

Proof. — Tlie  passport  wliich  the  Governor  of  Revel 
iehveredto  him  in  virtue  of  superior  orders. 

ARTICLE  V. 

Kotzebue  resided  at  Vienna,  but  still  retained  his  Li- 
;onian  villa,  hoping  one  day  to  return  thither.  Me  ac- 
quitted himself  in  all  his  duties  with  zeal  and  probity. 

Proof. — The  flattering  certificate  of  the  theatrical  Di- 
}-dttory.    The  original  is  among  the  seized  papers. 

ARTICLE  VI. 

The  Emperor  Francis  II.  was  well  satisfied  with  his 
;ervice  and  conduct. 

Proof. — He  granted  him  his  dismission,  which  on 
i'.eveial  accounts  he  had  solicited,  but  retained  him  in  hit 
:;ervice  as  dramatic  writer  to  the  Court  Theatre,  with  a 
)ension  for  life  of  one  thousand  florins  a  year,  with  leave 
o  expend  the  same  wherever  he  should  please.  The 
)riginal  decree,  together  with  a  letter  written  by  Count 
2!olleredo,  make  a  part  of  the  papers  under  sequestra- 
ion. 

ARTICLE   VII.  • 

Kotzebue,  not  satisfied  with  the  above  honourable 
certificate,  as  it  regarded  only  his  dramatic  services, 
bought  it  incumbent  on  him  to  procure  a  testimony  of 
lis  conduct,  as  the  subject  of  a  monarchical  State,  before 
le  left  Vienna.  For  this  purpose,  he  applied  to  Count 
ie  Saurau,  Minister  of  the  Secret  Police,  and  obtained 
"rom  him  the  most  satisfactory  answer. 

Proof. — -The  Minister's  original  note,  together  with 
m  official  letter  from  Aulic  Counsellor  Schilling,  are^ 
30th  among  his  seized  papers. 

ARTICLE  VIII. 

-Kotzebue  left  Vienna,  and  went  to  reside  at  Weimar, 
n  order  to  be  near  h.is  mother.    He  purchased  a  hous« 
K 


110 


and  garden  in  the  neighbourhood,  at  which  he  resided 
twelve  month'^,  known  and  esteemed  at  the  Ducal  Court, 
which  he  had  offen  the  honour  to  frequent. 

Proof. — A  letter  from  the  reigning  Duchess  of  Weimar 
lo  the  Grand  Duchess  Elizabeth,  which  may  be  found 
among  his  papers.  He  appeals  besides  to  the  testimony 
of  the  reigning  Duke,  and  to  that  of  the  Duchess  Dowa- 
ger. 

ARTICLE  IX. 

Kotzebue,  as  well  to  gratify  the  wishes  of  his  wife  as 
to  embrace  his  two  sons,  who  have  tlie  honour  to  be  edu- 
cated in  the  Cadet-corps  at  Petersburg,  resolved  to  un- 
dertake a  journey  to  Russia:  His  duty  as  dramatic  wri- 
ter to  the  Emperor  of  Germany  obliged  him  to  apply  for 
a  passport,  which  was  accordingly  granted. 

Proof. — The  original  instrument  is  among  his  papers  ; 
j.nd  it  shows  at  the  same  time  that  he  was  bond Jide  in  the 
service  of  his  Imperial  and  Royal  Majesty. 

ARTICLE  X. 

Kotzebue  applied  for  a  passport  to  his  Majesty  t 
Emperor  of  Russia,  and  obtained  it.    [Here  the  wriici 
tntered  into  all  the  necessary  details.] 

Proof. — The  original  letter  from  Baron  da  Kriidener. 

ARTICLE  XI. 

Kotzebue  commenced  his  journey,  and  \f'as  arrested 
on  the  frontiers  of  Prussia.  This  unexpected  blow 
alarmed  him:  he  however  consoled  himself  with  the  no- 
tion, that  a  prudent  precaution,  under  the  circumstances 
of  the  times,  might  have  occasioned  this  measure. — 
Fully  relying  on  his  own  innocence,  he  consoled  his  family 
and  proceeded  to  Mittau. 

Proof .^We  appeals  to  the  testimony  of  the  ofiicer 
who  escorted  him  thither. 

ARTICLE  XII. 

At  Mittau  he  was  Informed  that  he  must  be  conduct- 
c<l  to  Petersburg.  To  this  order  he  submitted  with  -d 
good  grace  ;  but  he  soon  discovered  that  his  guard, 
vvf.re  dragging  him  to  Siberia.  He  then  demanded.,  in 
an  ag(;ny  of  despair,  what  crime  he  had  committed,  hi'- 
conscience  being  pure  of  all  crime  towards  God  r«.'^,<'  iii: 
Sovereign. 


ARTICLE  Xlir. 

But  may  it  not  be  possible  that,  like  many  others  he 
jmight  have  been  an  avowed  partizan  of  the  Revolution- 
lary  System? — No. 

First  Proof. — Two  of  his  sons  are  in  the  Cadet-corps  at 
Petersburg;  a  third  i>  in  the  Cadet-engineers  at.Vienna. 
These  are  so  many  hostages  of  his  loyalty,  which  he  has 
voluntarily  delivered  up. 

Seconi  Proof. — The  bulk  of  his  estate,  with  the  addi- 
I  lion  of  Jiat  settled  on  his  wife,  is  in  Russia,  and  he  has 
j  never  attempted  to  dispose  of  it. 

I     Third  Proof. — Had  he  been  a  man  of  revolutionary 
5  principles,  it  is  natural  to  conclude  that  he  would  have 
i  left  Vienna  to  have  visited  France:  he  remained,  how- 
ever, continually  at  Weimar,  at  which  place  he  received 
his  pension  from  Vienna. 

Fojirth  Proof. — In  the  year  1 7  90,  he  was  one  of  the  first 
to  satirize  the  horrid  outrages  of  the  Revolutionists,  in  a 
Comedy  entitled  The  Club  of  Female  Jacobins.  In  1792, 
he  wrote  a  treatise  on  nobility,  which,  although  it  may 
boast  of  nothing  interesting,  except  the  subject,  at  least 
exhibits  the  sentiments  of  the  writer  on  that  subject.* 

Fifth  Proof. — It  is  more  than  a  year  ago,  that,  in  a 
work  entitled.  On  my  Residence  at  Vienna,  he  declared 
publicly  that  he  preferred  the  monarchical  svstem  of 
government  to  any  other ;  and  that,  unless  he  should  be- 
'  come  a  knave  or  a  madman,  he  never  would  adopt  the 
system  of  the  present  dav.  An  author,  well  known 
throughout  Europe,  would  certainly  not  have  published 
such  sentiments  in  evidence  against  himself,  if  he-had  ii> 
tended  ever  to  have  renounced  them. 

•  A  drowning  man  is  glad  to  snatdi  at  a  straw.  I  am  better 
aware  than  any  one  can  be  that  this  book  is  good  for  nothing  ; 
and  I  am  sorry  I  ventured  upon  the  task  of  writing  it.  I  yielded 
in  this  instance  to  the  particular  entreaties  of  a  man  of  the  rrst 
consequence,  who  is  much  in  favour  of  the  Sovereign.  ,  ISIy 
sitrtatlon  at  that  time  compelled  me  to  undertake  a  subject  whieh 
I  had  never,  or  at  least  very  lately,  considered  with  any  degree 
of  atten.ion.  If  the  world  knew  the  niocives  whicii  often  induc^f 
an  author  to  take  up  the  pen,  the  judgment  it  passes  upon  their 
-.vorks  would  be  rrwre  charitable  than  it  commoniv  is. 


112 


Sixth  Proof. — In  179.5  he  presented  to  the  Empres 
])liin  f  or  the  establislinient  of  an  University  at  Depart,  a 
among  other  motives  which  he  alleged  in  favour  of 
establishment,  tlie  following  may  be  found :  namely,  t 
the  young  men  would  be  in  less  danger  of  imbibing  p 
ciples  of  a  seditious  nature. 

ARTICLE  XIV. 

Has  Kotzebue  had  any  connections  with  suspect 
persons? — No. 

Proof. — Let  the  book  which  is  to  be  found  among 
papers  be  referred  to;  it  contains  copies  of  all  his  iett 
of  importance. 

ARTICLE  XV. 

Can  it  be  surmised  that  his  income  arose  from  an 
pure  source  ?  He  who  surmises  this,  is  exceedingly  m 
taken. 

Proof — The  above  mentioned  book,  in  which  his 
are  particularized. 

ARTICLE  XVI. 

He  has  written,  perhaps,  on  political  subjects. — N 
Proof — In  the  aforesaid  book  may  be  seen  the  cata' 
logue  of  his  literary  labours. 

ARTICLE  XVII. 

Can  it  be  supposed  that  he  does  not  entertain  all  due 
respect  for  the  Emperor? — The  contrary  is  positively 
the  case. 

Proof — In  the  year  1796,  he  converted  a  generou^ 
trait  of  that  Monarch's  conduct  into  a  drama,  under  ti 
title  of  The  Emp£ror*s  Head  Coachman.    This  work,  per- 
haps, is  beneath  its  subject,  but  still  it  manifests  the  sen- 
timents of  the  author. 

ARTICLE  XVIir. 

Is  Kotzebue  an  immoral  man?  And  ought  lie  not  t 
be  banished  from  society.? — No. 

First  Proof. — On  the  perusal  of  the  journal  of  his  oc- 
cupations, and  of  all  his  actions  (which  are  contained  in 
the  same  book)  what  does  the  reader  find?  That  hb 
planted  a  tree  on  his  wife's  birth-day ;  that  he  gave  p, 
fete  chajupctre  on  the  cutting  of  a  child's  first  tooth.  *  ' 
will  there  be  found,  that  he  uniformly  placed  his  happ'; 
ness  in  the  endearments  of  domestic  life. 


113 

Seco?id  Proof. — His  almanac,  after  the  plan  ofFrahh  - 
lin,  for  the  purpose  of  moral  improvement,  is  a  proof  of 
'  his  sincere  love  of  virtue.    From  the  tenor  of  his  con- 
j  fessions,  it  will  be  seen  at  first  view,  that  they  w^ere  made 
I  only  for  himself,  and  that  he  never  could  have  imagined 
I  they  would  have  fallen,  during  his  life-time,  into  the 
I  hands  of  strangers.    They  may  represent  him  as  a  weak, 
but  not  as  a  wicked  man :  People  who  know  him,  will 
bear  witness  that  he  is  an  affectionate  husband  and  a  good 
father;  qualities  surely  very  foreign  to  immorality. 

In  a  word,  Kotzebue  has  proved  that  his  public  con- 
duct, during  twenty  years,  is  acknowledged  to  have  been 
irreproachable ;  he  has  proved  that  he  has  never  mani- 
fested principles  subversive  of  good  order ;  that  his  con- 
nections have  been  unexceptionable ;  that  he  never  has 
written  on  the  subject  of"  politics ;  that  he  has  ever  en- 
tertained due  sentiments  of  respect  for  the  person  of  the 
Emperor ;  that  his  happiness  has  invariably  rested  in  the 
bosom  of  his  family,  and  that  he  has  been  a  lover  of  peace 
and  virtue.  By  what  involuntary  fault  then  has  he  had 
the  misfortune  to  incur  your  Majesty's  displeasure?  Of 
this  he  is  totally  ignorant.  He  has  in  vain  endeavoured 
to  conjecture  the  cause ;  unless  it  be  that  some  malevolent 
person,  some  secret  enemy,  has  perhaps  detached  sepa- 
rate passages  from  his  writings,  and  exhibited  them  in 
an  unfavourable  point  of  view.  If  this  presumption  be 
well-founded,  he  confines  the  whole  of  his  petition  to 
one  single  favour,  that  of  being  allowed  an  opportunity 
of  explanation. 

Your  Majesty  must  be  aware,  that  nothing  can  be 
written  to  which  malevolent  interpretations  may  not  at- 
tribute evil  designs.    Kotzebue  may  have  been  mistaken ; 
it  is  the  fate  of  every  man.    He  may,  like  others,  have 
introduced  a  word  without  due  reflection,  or  given  to  a 
phrase  a  doubtful  turn ;  but  he  swears  before  the  throne 
of  the  monarch,  before  that  of  the  Eternal,  that  he  has 
■  always  strenuously  endeavoured  to  tread  in  the  paths  of 
'  v^irtue.    If  he  has  unknowingly  swerved  from  them,  he 
has  been  severely  punished,  and  the  paternal  hand  which 
has  inflicted  the  blow,  will  surely  raise  up  the  penitent 
K  a 


who  bewails  his  fault.  May  your  Majesty,  wiio  posses 
a  feeliiig  lieart,  contemplate  for  a  moment  the  horrors 
your  pctitioner\s  situation.  His  wife  far  advanced  in  ' 
pregnancy,  perhaps  dying  of  a  broken  heart;  for  her 
^vorId  has  no  longer  any  happiness  in  store ;  her  childr 
will  soon  fall  into  indigence ;  her  husband's  reputati 
his  honour  being  tarnished,  who  will  not  conclude  t 
lie  had  been  guilty  of  some  crime  ?  After  an  illness 
twelve  months  duration,  he  finds  himself  deprived  of  eve 
thing,  condemned  to  a  dreadful  climate,  where  sorr 
and  inevitable  sickness  will  soon  put  an  end  to  his  e 
istence.  A  beloved  husband,  the  father  of  six  childre 
abandoned  by  tlie  world,  must  expire  far  from  the  sig 
of  his  family  !  A  severe  doom  for  an  innocent  man!  No, 
Paul  the  Just  still  lives;  he  will  restore  honour,  and  life 
and  tranquillity  to  his  unhappy  petitioner;  he  will  restore 
him  to  his  afflicted  family." 

Such  is  the  substance  of  the  Memorial  which  I  intended 
to  present  to  the  Emperor.  Just  as  I  had  concluded  it, 
the  Counsellor  happened  to  come  into  my  room,  and 
<old  me  that  he  was  going  to  the  Governor.  I  commis- 
sioned him  to  inquire  at  what  hour  his  Excellency  would 
favour  me  with  an  audience.  He  soon  returned  with 
the  Ibllowing  answer,  which  astonished  the  bearer  ex- 
ceedingly :  That  from  five  in  the  morning  till  eleven  at 
night  the  Governor  was  at  my  service.  My  companion 
i:ould  not  possibly  conceive  why  such  civility  was  shown 
to  me,  an  exile,  while  he  himself,  (hough  an  Auiic  Coun- 
.sellor,  was  treated  with  neglect. 

What  expression  shall  I  employ  to  exhibit  to  the  eyes 
of  the  world  the  generosity  of  the  beneficent  Governor! 
It  is  impossible  to  express  either  the  value  of  his  con- 
!^iderate  goodness  to  me,  or  the  grateful  feelings  which 
such  liberal  and  humane  conduct  excited  in  my  breast. 
How  differently  might  he  have  exercised  his  power  I  He 
■might  have  sent  me  to  Beresow,  upon  the  shores  of  the 
Frozen  Sea,  wliere,  in  the  warmest  months  of  summer, 
the  earth,  for  more  than  a  foot  beneath  its  surface,  is  al- 
ways frozen ;  yet  he  chose  for  the  place  of  my  residence 


115 

'the  mildest  climate,  and  for  my  fellow  inhabitants,  the 
most  sociable  people  in  all  his  government.  During  my 
stay  at  Tobolsk,  he  might  have  consigned  me  to  sorrow, 
to  want,  to  solitude;  instead  of  which,  he  invited  me 
levery  day  to  his  table,  and  loaded  me  with  kindness,  in 
the  lace  of  two  senators,*  sent  thither  to  inspect  his  gov- 
ernment, and  make  report  of  his  conduct.  He  permitted 
me  likewise  to  choose  a  servant  who  might  be  acquainted 
with  some  language  in  which  I  could  explain  myself. 
The  choice  indeed  was  soon  made;  the  only  man  in  To- 
bolsk qualified,  being  an  Italian,  of  the  name  of  Rossi 
(commonly  called  Russ)  who  had  resided  there  for  twenty 
years.  Having  served  on  board  the  fleet  at  Cherson,  he 
had  been  concerned  in  a  plot,  with  several  of  his  com- 
rades, to  murder  the  captain,  and  deliver  the  vessel  into 
the  hands  of  the  Turks.  The  conspiracy  was  happily 
discovered,  and  my  conspirator  sent,  by  order  of  Prince 
iPotemkin,  into  Siberia.  He  was  enrolled  among  the 
peasantry,  and  paid  the  accustomed  tax ;  but  received 
Ipermission  to  come  to  town  and  earn  his  bread  in  what 
pway  he  pleased,  and  he  generally  contrived  to  gain  a 
^ood  livelihood.  This  man  was  indeed  incredibly  ex- 
pert :  At  one  time  he  would  make  sausages,  at  another 
shoes ;  he  would  act  in  the  capacity  of  a  servant  to  tra- 
vellers, play  the  pimp,  or  attend  his  employers  through 
the  whole  extent  of  the  government.  He  had  an  artful 
countenance,  with  a  keen  eye ;  in  short,  he  seemed  fit 
for  any  thing.  The  Governor  warned  me  of  his  being 
in  accomplished  sharper,  and  having  cheated  all  his 
masters.  What  was  to  be  done?  He  could  speak  French 
lis  well  as  Russian ;  he  knew  the  whole  country,  and 
pad  been  every  where  ;  he  could  make  bread  and  dress 
jvictuals  ;  he  was  just  what  I  wanted,  and  I  hired  him 
Ifor  three  roubles  and  a  half  per  month,  and  his  board. 
The  Governor  extended  his  kindness  so  far  as  to  allow 
file  to  keep  him  in  my  service  at  Kurgan,  a  favour  of 

•  *  These  two  senators  were  M.  de  Lewaschoff,  and  M.  de 
Liapuchin,  whose  generous  conduct  to  me  is  forever  imprinted 
on  vaj  heart. 


116 


such  moment,  that  had  It  been  known  at  Petersburg,  he 
might  in  consequence  have  forfeited  his  post.  It  is  true, 
(hat  the  name  of  Rossi  not  having  been  inserted  in  the 
passport,  the  Governor  was  able  in  some  measure  to 
connive  at' the  circumstance.  When  we  were  on  our 
journey,  the  fellow  knew  every  village  we  passed  through^ 
and  insinuated  himself  every  where  in  the  most  happy 
manner. 


17 


CHAP.  ir. 


jDuRiNG  the  early  part  of  my  residence  at  Tobolsk,  I 
jconfess  I  enjoyed  unbounded  liberty.  I  visited  and  re- 
iceived  visits,  when,  and  as  often,  as  I  pleased.  I  was 
Iseldom  without  friends  when  at  home,  and  1  often  visited 
!my  friend  Kiniakoff.  He  lived  in  a  very  agreeable  style, 
land  had  a  collection  of  choice  books,  among'which  were 
most  of  the  best  French  authors.  I  had  also  the  privilege 
of  walking  about  the  streets,  and  even  beyond  the  gates^ 
at  my  pleasure. 

But  all  this  indulgence  was  suddenly  withdrawn.  One 
morning  the  Governor  sent  for  me,  and  in.  tlie  kindest 
manner  expressed  his  uneasiness  on  my  account.    "  You^- 
arriral,"-  said  he,  **^"has  attracted  much  notice  here,  and 
it  becomes  still  more  generally  the  topic  of  conversation  ; 
I  cannot  th^efore  consider  you  as  a  person  of  no  conse- 
quence, and  I  must  be  the  more  circumspect  as  your 
Counsellor  does  not  yet  think  of  departing  ;  I  fear,  in- 
deed, he  stays  to  be  a  spy  upon  your  conduct.  The 
senators  too  may  be  displeased  that  you  are  treated  with 
so  much  indulgence.    It  appears  necessary,  for  our  mu- 
tual interest,  that  you  should  live  under  a  little  more 
restraint ;  I  beg  therefore  (this  generous  man  could  com- 
mand, and  yet  he  begged)  that  you  will  receive  no  visits^ 
except  those  of  your  physician;  nor  visit  any  house  ex- 
[cept  his  and  mine:  at  every  hour  of  the  day  my  door 
t  will  be  open  to  you.^*    I  entreated  him  to  make  an  ex- 
Sception  with  respect  to  Kiniakoff.    He  shrugged  up  his 
''   -iklers,  acknowledged  the  merit  of  that  young  man, 
;  said,  "  that  he  was  himself  fond  of  his  company,  and 
convinced  of  his  innocence;  yet,"  contmued  he, 
J  is  looked  upon  with  suspicion,  and  that  is  sufficient 
jure  you."    I  thanked  him  for  the  goodness  lie  h^ud 


113  ■ 

e^'mceJ,  in  thus  explaining  his  motives,  and,  vvit^f 
sayinn;  anottier  worii,  yielded  to  his  arguments. 

liilherto  I  had  no  other  guard  than  a  subakern  offiflBj 
named  Iwano^N'itsch,  a  good  old  man,  but  very  stupid, 
He  remained  in  the  anti-chamber,  where  he  was  almosi 
always  asleep.  A  younger  man  was  now  added  to 
guard;  he  gave  me,  however,  no  more  trouble  than  th( 
other  had  done :  bo'di  of  them  wailed  on  me,  boiled 
w  a'er,  and  went  to  market  for  me;  but  they  were  verj 
assiduoas  in  keeping  off  every  visitor,  except  the  phy 
sician,  and  when  I  went  out,  one  of  them  attended  me 
It  was  ean'y  perceived  tliat  they  were  ordered  to  ex 
amine  closefv  into  my  conduct;  however,  exceplin| 
paving  visits,  I  could  walk  out  whenever  I  pleased,  hot! 
within  and  without  the  city,  entirely  unmolested. 

Bv  means  of  my  Italian  knave  I  was  enabled  to  cor 
respond  with  my  good  friend ;  we  often  met  under  th( 
arcades  in  the  great  scjuare ;  and  while  the  by-stander 
would  imagine  we  were  both  employed  in  looking  at  thr 
various  articles  placed  there* for  sale,  we  took  the  oppor 
tunity  of  exchanging  a  few  words. 

We  were  indeed  under  no  fear  of  being  betrayed:  ih 
unfortunate  exile  is  sure  of  the  public  compassion.  Se 
veral  tradesmen,  the  first  lime  I  went  to  them,  whispera 
in  my  ear :  "  Do  you  want  to  send  a  letter?  give  it  me 
and  I  will  take  care  to  forward  it.*'  This  trouble  the 
take  upon  themselves  v^'ithout  the  least  interested  mo! 
tive,  without  even  receiving  the  smallest  recompense 
TJie  name  which  tliey  give  the  exiles,  seems  to  hav 
been  dictated  by  the  tenderest  sentiments  of  compassion 
and  a  full  conviction  of  their  innocence — they  call  ther 
unfortunates  (neschtschastii.)  Who  is  ti\a,t  man?  the 
have  asked ;  an  unfortunate  !  v>'ould  be  the  answer ;  am 
I  never  heard  them  call  an  exil<i  any  other  name 
much  less  by  any  humiliating  denomniation  implvin 
guUt. 

Foreigners  have  been  led  to  entertain,  such  erroneetij 
or  at  least  imperfect  ideas  of  what  is  called  being  exiled  t 
Siberia,  that  I  think  it  recessary  to  throw  some  ItglU  i^f 
on  that  subject, 


The  exiles  are  divided  into  several  classes  very  dlfTer- 
'lit  from  each  other  :  The  first  class  is  coiyiposed  of  male- 
actors  legally  convicted  of  the  most  atrocious  crimes,  and 
\  hose  sentences  have  been  confirmed  by  the  senace. — 
These  criminals  arc  doomed  to  work  in  the  mines  of 
\'crtschinsk  ;  whither  they  are  conducted  in  chains  and 
)n  foot.  Their  sufferings  are  worse  than  death,  as  they 
lave  commonly  undergone  the  chastisement  of  the  knout, 
ind  have  had  their  nostrils  slit. 

The  second  class  comprises  that  description  of  crimi- 
mis,  who,  though  less  guilty  than  the  lirst,  have  been  ju- 
idically  condemned  to  banishment.    These  are  enrolled 

ong  the  peasantry,  or  bondmen ;  their  names  are  chang- 

lo  those  of  the  boors  among  vN'hom  they  are  settled, 
iid  they  are  employed  as  cultivators  of  the  soil.  We 

i.  ;-t  with  many  of  this  description  with  split  nostrils: 

e  criminals,  however,  have  it  in  their  power,  if  they 
cit  all  diligent,  to  gain  something  for  themselves,  and 

ii.  leby  render  their  condition  more  tolerable. 

,  The  third  class  consists  of  such  as  the  law  has  actually 
:ondemned,  but  sentenced  only  to  banishment,  without 
he  addition  of  any  infamous  and  oppressive  punishment, 
f  they  are  of  noble  birth,  they  do  not  lose  their  rank. 
They  are  allowed  to  live  without  molestarion  on  the  spot 
Lssigned  to  them,  and  they  are  permitted  to  receive  tlieir 
isual  incomes  ;  ov  in  case  they  have  none,  the  crown 
iirnishes  them  with  twenty  or  thirty  copecks  a  day,  or 
nore. 

The  fourth  and  last  class  includes  thc^e  who,  w^^lhout 
my  legal  process,  are  exiled  in  an  arbi::rary  manner,  at 
.he  mere  pleasure  of  the  So^^ereign.    They  are  general- 
y  confounded  with  the  tlii-rd  class.    These  may  write  to 
;heir  families  or  to  the  Emperor,  but  the  letters  a.e  first 
perused  by  the  Governor,  and  atterwards  toiwarJed 
:hroagh  his  means.    Sometimes  exiles  of  this  class  are 
'^iied  in  fortresses,  and  l':ept  in  chains.    Instances  of 
ort  were,  however,  very  rare,  and  under  the  miid 
r^cciful  reign  of  Alexander  I.  this  class  lias  cnti»"ely 
nearod. 


120 

1  kno  A  not  to  wliich  of  the  two  last  classes  my  felli 
traveller,  the  Lieutenant-Colonel  from  Rasan,  beloi 
His  destiny,  however,  seems  to  be  very  severe ;  for! 
though,  on  his  arrival  at  Tobolsk,  the  Governor  ga 
him  hopes  that  he  would  be  allowed  to  take  up  his  rd 
dence  in  that  city,  and  altliough  encouraged  by  thesej 
sinuations,  he  had  begun  to  make  arrangements,  am 
furnish  himself  with  clothes  and  several  other  necessarl^ 
he  received  an  order  two  days  alter  to  proceed  instant 
to  Irkutzk.    Tuo  hours  only  were  allowed  him  to  pre- 
pare for  his  departure,  and  he  has  not  been  since  heard 
of. 

He  was  scarcely  permitted  to  get  back  his  clothes  in 
their  half-finished  state  from  thetaylor.  The  Governor, 
doubtless,  had  received  very  particular  orders,  in  this  in- 
stance, or  he  would  liave  acted  more  according  to  tlie 
suggestions  of  his  well-known  humanity. 

Assisted  by  the  kindness  of  a  few  friends,  and  some 
compassionate  and  obliging  tradesmen T)f  the  place,  I  had 
been  able  to  send  off  ten  different  letters  to  my  wife,  * 
the  contents  of  which  I  shall  notice  hereafter.  The  hours 
which  were  devoted  to  her  were  the  only  ones  that  af- 
forded one  drop  of  comfort  to  mingle  in  my  cup  of  sor- 
row ;  yet,  to  my  great  surprise,  I  still  preserved  my 
health,  and  I  determined  to  divert  my  grief  in  the  besi 
manner  I  could. 

The  Counsellor,  after  the  first  two  or  three  days  ol 
my  residence  at  Tobolsk,  had  quitted  my  lodgings  tc 
live  with  a  friend.  I  felt  quite  happy  on  his  departure^ 
as  it  enabled  me  to  devote  myself  without  interriJptior 
to  my  own  thoughts.  I  employed  the  greater  part  oi 
the  mornings  in  penning  the  story  of  my  misfortunes. — 
Instead  of  common  ink  I  made  use  of  Indian,  which  i^ 
good  an^in  great  plenty  in  this  country.  Towards  noor 
1  usualljPv-alked  out,  or  climbed  the  rocks  that  surround 
the  city,  and  which  the  torrents  have  worn  into  a  varie- 
ty of  picturesque  forms.    From  them  I  surveyed  the 


Most  of  these  letters  were  duly  received. 


I  mmense  expanse  of  water  tliat  deluged  its  environs, 
,nd  the  thick  forests  which  skirted  the  horizon  on  every 
ide.  M^'  eye  too  cauglit  every  sail  that  ghded  along, 
nd  my  imagination  peopled  the  bark  wilh  my  family, 
dined  almost  every  day  with  the  Governoi",  sometimes 
v'ith  Au!ic  Counsellor  Paterson,  and  rarely  at  liome.  1 
.ever  quitted  the  company  of  M.  de  Ku;che!eff  vvilhcuf 
deling  some  alle\'iation  of  my  grief:  his  delicacy  and 
snribility  found  many  an  avenue  to  my  heart,  and  enli- 
ened  me  with  hope. 

He  was  himself  far  from  being  happy.  Often,  v\  hen 
sated  beside  each  other  in  his  summer-house,  we  cast 
ur  eyes  over  the  vast  expan-^e  of  waters,  and  contem- 
lated  the  immense  forests  beyond  them.  One  da}-^, 
iving  free  utterance  to  his  feelings,  lie  said  to  me, 
tretching  forth  his  hand,  "  Do  you  see  those  forests  ? 
ley  extend  eleven  hundred  verstes  towards  the  shores 
f  the  Frozen  Sea.  The  foot  of  man  has  not  yet  trod- 
en  them  ;  they  are  solely  inhabited  by  wild  beasts.  My 
overnment  contains  more  square  miles  than  Germany, 
Vance,  and  Turkey  in  Europe,  put  together ;  yet  what 
dvantage  does  it  afford  me?  Scarcely  a  day  passe* 
ithout  producing  some  new  spectacle  of  misery,  either 
ililary  or  otherwise,  with  which  I  cannot,  must  not, 
indole,  while  the  distresses  of  the  sufferers  rend  my 
iart.  A  heavy  responsibility  lies  upon  me ;  a  mere  ac- 
dent,  wln'ch  no  human  prudence  or  power  could  either 
resee  or  avert,  a  secret  information,  would  be  sufficient 
» deprive  me  of  my  employment,  my  honour,  and  my 
Derty  f  And  what  indemnity  have  I  for  all  this  ?  A  de- 
!rt  country,  a  severe  climate,  and  continual  intercourse 
jith  suffering  and  unhappy  fellow-creatures!'-* 

He  has  long  been  desirous  of  his  dismission,  but  has 
-it  yet  ventured  to  ask  for  it.  May  he  never  do  it ! — 
/hat  will  become  of  the  wreLched  exiles,  when  he  who 
as  their  broilier  and  their  friend,  sha]!  be  no  longer 
!!n  them?  For  all  his  sacrifices  may  he  find  ample  re- 
,  ense  in  the  approbation  of  his  own  heart !  Whea 
an  shall  one  day  present  himself  before  the  tribunn} 
•  cd,  surrcunded  by  ai!  the  imiocent  or  unfortunate 


122 


people  whose  sufferings  he  lias  mitigated,  with  \vl 
tears,  when  he  could  not  wipe  them  away,  he  has  so] 
ten  mingled  his  own;  and  when  all  of  them 
lift  up  their  voices  to  bless  him, — what  higher  felil 
than  this  can  heaven  itself  bestow  ? 

Towards  ihe  evening  I  commonly  took  a  turn  ini 
town,  or  to  the  great  square.    The  city  is  large ; 
of  the  streets  are  broad  and  straight ;  and  the  hoi 
chietly  constructed  of  wood;  those  built  of  stone 
commodious  and  in  the  modern  taste.    The  churd 
which  are  very  numerous,  are  all  heavily  designed! 
The  streets  are  paved,  or  rather  planked  with  thick 
ber,  which  is  far  cleaner  and  much  more  agreeable 
pebbles.    The  town  is  traversed  lengthways  by  nj 
gable  canals,  o\-er  which  are  bridges,  kept  in  good 
pair. 

The  market-place  {the  hasar)  is  very  spacious,  wh< 
besides  provisions  and  things  of  the  first  necessity,  agi 
quantity  uf  Chinese  and  European  goods  are  exposec 
sal^.  T  hese  articles  are  extremely  dear,  but  the  price  ol 
kinds  of  provisions  is  very  m.oderate.    This  square 
crowded  incessantly  with  people  of  all  nations,  parti 
larly  Russians  and  Tartars,  Kirgists  and  Calmucks. 
Jlsh  market  afforded  a  very  novel  spectacle  to  me.  Gi 
quantities  of  different  kinds  offish,  which  I  had  hither 
known  merely  by  description,  were  exposed,  both  dej 
and  alive,  in  tubs  and  barges,  for  sale.  Esterlets  (acipc. 
ser  rutkenus )  sold  for  a  mere  trifle.    The  huso,  or  roy 
fish,  (acipemer  huso)  the  silure,   (silurns  glanis)  ql 
with  caviar  of  every  colour,  were  equally  reasonabl 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  disagreeable  smells  in  this  mz 
ket,  I  should  often  have  loitered  there. 

Curiosity  sometimes  led  me  to  the  playhouse.  Tl 
building  is  spacious,  and  fitted  up  with  a  row  of  box« 
The  greater  number  of  these  boxes  belong  to  particul 
people,  and  every  proprietor  having  a  right  to  ornamc 
his  own  box  in  what  manner  he  pleases,  the  variety 
decorations  was  very  striking.  The  balustrade  v/as  c 
vered  in  many  places  with  rich  silks  of  very  ianciltil  ( 
loui  s.    At  the  back  of  the  boxes  were  girandole  uui  iO 


[I 


123 


:  whole,  it  is  true,  had  an  Asiatic  appearance;  but, 
j.t  first  sigiit,  it  did  not  fail  to  produce  a  good  effect, 
jrhe  orchestra  was  execrable.  The  company  of  per- 
brmers  was  made  up  of  exiles.  Among  the  number  of 
:jhese  was  the  wife  of  my  worthy  Rossi,  a  native  of  Re- 
I  'el,  who,  having  been  transported  to  Siberia  for  some 
fTime,  found  a  suitable  husband  in  the  person  of  my  va- 
!  et.  She  now  pla3^s  the  parts  of  mothers  and  matrons 
m  the  boards  of  the  national  theatre  of  Tobolsk.  The 
ilecorations,  the  dresses,  the  acting,  the  singing,  were 
ill  below  criticism.  One  evening  when  I  was  present, 
ihey  acted  the  Dober  Saldat  (the  Good  Soldier.)  I  for- 
'yet  the  name  of  the  other  piece  I  saw  ;  but  neitlier  of 
jJie  times  I  was  there  was  I  able  to  stay  more  than  a 
quarter  of  an  hour.  The  admittance  to  the  best  places 
hosts  no  more  than  thirty  copecks,  or  nearly  fifteen  French 
jsols. 

Misanthrophy  and  Repentance,  the  Natural  Son,  and 
some  other  of  my  pieces,  had  been  represented  with 
much  applause.  They  were  getting  up  the  Virgin  of 
the  Sun,  but  the  dresses  and  decorations  demanding  an 
expense  beyond  tlie  manager\s  revenues,  they  had  deter-/ 
piined  to  supply  the  deficiency  by  making  a  collection 
among  tlie  principal  inhabitants  of  the  place. 

There  is  likewise  a  club  at  Tobolsk  (I  believe  they 
call  it  the  Casins)  kept  by  an  Italian,  whose  nostrils  are 
slit.  He  had  been  guilty  of  murder,  and  having  sturdi- 
ly undergone  the  discipline  of  the  knout,  iie  gained  his 
livelihood  in  this  manner.    I  never  entered  this  house. 

During  my  stay  here,  a  ball  and  a  masquerade  had 
been  twice  given  in  honour  of  the  two  deputies  from 
tiie  senate.    I  was  invited  to  both  in  due  form  ;  but  be- 
ing unwilling  to  make  a  show  of  mvself  and  my  misfor- 
.  I  did  not  accept  the  invitation".,  and  can  therefore 
owning  of  tiie  fair  sex  of  Tobolsk.    Except  the  cx- 
:it  family  of  Aulic  Counsellor  Paterson,  and  thebeau- 
'ud  amiable  daughter  of  Colonel  Kr'amer,  I  scarce- 
.  va  woman  of  condition  in  the  place, 
lould  have  walked  about  the  environs  of  the  town 
;[uently  than  I  did,  if  the  insupportable  hefat 


1  !■  l 

4i\nn»;  dav  time,  and  the  gnat-.,  sliil  more  intoler  . 
at  night,  fiad  not  hindered  me  from  taking  that  recn 
lion.    Not  a  day  passed  in  which  Reaumer's  thermom 
ter  was  not  from  26  to  23  degrees.    We  had  regular] 
five  or  six  hurricanes  every  four-and-tvventy  hours,  whi 
proceeding  from  all  points  of  the  compass,  seemed  li 
a  war  of  winds.    There  were  tremendous  showers 
rain,  which,  however,  very  little  if  at  all  refreshed  tl 
air.    Notwithstanding  all  this  heal,  nature  is  very  sp; 
ing  in  her  gifts  here;  and  I  did  not  see  a  single  fru 
bearing  tree.    The  Governor's  garden,  indeed,  whi 
is  certainly  the  finest  in  all  the  country,  exhibited  so: 
in  painting,  against  the  plank  walls  that  form  its  incl 
.sure.  In  iactthc  garden  contained  scarcely  any  thing  b' 
the  black  alder  ( rliamnus  f  rangida) ;  the  Siberian  pea-lr 
(robinia  caragona);  and  the  birch  (hetula  alba.)  T 
last  tree  is  very  common  all  over  tlie  country,  but  it 
slender  and  dwarfish.    At  a  distance,  a  stranger  v.'ould 
take  a  grove  of  old  birch  trees  for  a  cluster  of  young  Eu- 
ropean plants.    The  alder  is  the  favourite  tree  with  the 
inhabitants  of  Tobolsk;  they  plant  it  in  the  streets  before 
their  houses;  they  prefer  it  on  account  of  its  sweet-scented 
blossom,  and  seem  satisfied  with  it  for  want  of  something 
"better.  There  were  likewise  a  few  green  and  red  goo?.e- 
berry  bushes  in  the  Governor's  garden,  with  various 
kinds  of  cabbages,  and  a  few  cucumber-plants  in  flower. 
Some  apple-trees  are  also  to  be  found  in  the  neighbou 
hood  of  Tiumcn,  which  bear  fruit  about  the  size  of  wal- 
nuts. 

If  the  inhabitants  of  thi^  country  are  little  indebted  to 
nature  for  fruits,  she  has  abundantly  compensated  for  that 
defect  in  the  article  of  grain.    The  Siberian  buck-wheat 
(poh/gnnum  tartaricum)  so  well  known  in  Europe,  re- 
produces itself  without  any  kind  of  culture,  and  retjuires 
no  other  labour  tiian  that  of  reaping  it.    Every  sori  of 
grain  growsin  astonishing  abundance.    The  gras'^' 
thick  and  succulent;  the  soil  is  in  general  of  a  c! 
luur,  loose,  and  requires  no  manure.  Thepeasar 
indolent  to  carry  away  by  degrees  the  dung  of  \\v  ' 
1^0U;ic.'  and  stables,  arc  often  thrown  into  -  -r- 


12o 

Vmd  of  embarrassment.  My  friend  Paterson  hasassiiretl 
i  me^  tliat  frequently  liaving  occasion  to  travel  about  the 
country  as  a  physician,  he  one  clay  came  to,  a  village^ 
the  inliabitants  of  which  were  employed  in  pulling  down 
their  houses  in  order  to  rebuild  them  on  another  spot;  as 
it  was  more  difficult  to  remove  the  enorm.ous  dunghills 
which  surrounded  the  houses,  than  the  houses  themselves-. 

In  Ihe  same  degree  that  the  heat  is  insupportable  in  ' 
summer,  so  is  the  cold  during  winter;  and  the  thermome- 
ter often  falls  to  forty  degrees  below  the  cypher.  M. 
Paterson  mentioned  an  experiment  which  he  makes  every 
year :  lie  freezes  quicksilver,  which  he  carves  into  small 
figures  with  a  p^n-knife,  and  sends  them  in  snow  to  the 
Governor. 

This  severe  chhnate  is  hov.  ever  conducive  to  health. 
My  physician  knew  of  only  two  prevalent  diseases  :  the 
one  a  disease  too  common  in  most  parts  of  the  world ; 
the  other  a  catarrhal  fever,  to  which  the  inhabitants  are 
liable  on  account  of  the  sudden  changes  in  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  air ;  yet;  by  proper  aUention,  particularly  at 
nigh '-fall,  may  attain  to  a  healthy  old  age  in  Si- 

beri  i 

I'  I  employed  in  reading.    My  friends 

P'  ''^  KiniakofF  had  furnished  me  with  some 

1  au  fiiors;  and  in  this  country  I  valued  them  far  above  • 
v'rth. 

ilattf'  ied  myself  with  the  hopes  of  being  allowed 
^   -m  at  ']\>boisk.    The  Governor  not  having  men- 
tioned hny  rf  moval,  my  friend  conjectured  that  he  only 
^  tor  the  departure  of  the  two  Senators  and  the 
^i!Ior,to  grant  me  a  formal  permission  to  stay.  The 
jrs  indeed  set  off' for  Irkutzk,  but  the  Counsellor 
mained.    J  have  since  learned  that  his  stay  was 
;ned  by  a  want  of  money,  and  that  he  had 
-he  determ>ination  of  a  tradesman  of  Tobolsk, 
lad  of?ered  to  take  with  him  free  of  post  ex- 
condition  that  he  would  defray  the  rest. 
•  '..-al  tlie  solution  of  this  enigma  may  appear, 
A  io  divine  it  at  that  tim.e;  and  it  is  not  to 


126 


be  wondered  at  that  botli  the  Govcrnorand  myself  shoi 
':  tve  taken  hlui  for  a  spy. 

Tlie  fourteen  days,  which  had  been  granted  me, 
now  nearly  expired.  I  waited  on  the  Governor 
ounday  morning  to  pay  him  my  respects;  as  the  ex 
of  the  third  and  fourth  classes  keep  up  a  custom  of  p; 
renting  themselves  before  him  on  that  day  in  regimental 
but  without  swords.  The  Governor  drew  me  on  one  side' 
and  informed  me  that  it  was  necessary  1  should  prepare 
for  leaving  Tobolsk  on  the  morrow,  as  he  could  not,  i'ot 
reasons  already  known  to  me,  allow  me  to  remain  there 
any  longer.  I  was  much  dejected  on  hearing  this,  but 
submitted  with  a  good  grace,  contenting  myself  with  en- 
treating him  to  indulge  me  with  a  delay  of  two  days,  i'or 
the  purpose  of  procuring  several  things  I  stood  iifneed 
of,  and  which  were  not  to  be  obtained  at  Kurgan ;  and 
io  dispose  of  my  carriage  (for  which  I  had  no  further  oc- 
casior.)  in  order  to  recruit  my  exhausted  purse.  The 
Governor  granted  my  request  in  the  most  obliging  man- 
ner, and  I  instc'iitly  began  my  preparation?,  that  I  might 
run  no  risk  of  trespassing  on  his  goodnV 

The  most  opulent  tradesman  in  the  t!'  ^•^e  name 

I  forget,  had  offered  me  a  few  days  b«.  odredj 
and  fifty  roubles  for  my  carriage,  whiciv  eader 
has  seen,  had  cost  me  more  than  three  liir.es  ,,  .<at  sujij ; 
£.:.d  i  had  of  course  refused  to  pai  t  with  it  at  siuh  a  price. 
Being  now,  however,  obliged  to  dispose  of  it,  won' 
j^ave  willingly  struck  a  bargain  with  him  on  h']^\  ''*rn; 
terms,  but  he  had  the  effrontery  to  bid  me  twev  ' 
roubles  !e;s:    I  was  obliged  to  take  that  sum,  c 
transaction  did  not  vex  me  so  much  as  it  shoe*- 
Avorthy  Governor,  who  expressed  his  indignation 
itrongest  terms,  and  seriously  recoijimended  ine  * 
I  e  anecdote  into  a  little  farce,  which  he  pro;  " 

ould  give  it  him  in  French,  he  would  hirn^t. 
•  i  have  it  brought  on  the  stage  at  Tobolsk. 
•. ;  -  hut  ill  disposed  to  write  plays. 

■iicha-ed  sugar,  tea,  coffee,  paper,  pen-, 
,  but  vvhat  I  niost  lamented  was  the  wan*^  - 
could  the  winter  be  passed  in  Siberia 


i  reading?  Th^  good  Counsellor  Paterson  furnished  me 
I  with  such  as  he  possessed,  but  his  library  was  chiefly 
'  composed  of  medical  works,  and  a  few  volumes  of  voy- 
a2;es  and  travels,  which  I  had  read.  I  was  however  able  to 
^iv  e  my  friend  Kiniakoff  notice  of  my  approaching  de- 
I  parture,  and  my  want  of  books :  he  wrote  me  word  that 
it  midnight,  while  the  guard  was  asleep,  I  miglit  expect 
^im  at  my  window.    He  came;  and  for  three  sacces- 
•  :ve  nights  he  brought  me  some  of  the  choicest  volumes 
.  )f  his  collection;  and  among  others  the  works  of  Sene- 
n,  which  afterwards  proved  a  great  source  of  consola- 
ion  to  me. 

1  wrote  to  my  wife,  and  to  about  a  dozen  generous 
"riends,  resident  in  Russia  and  Germany.  All  these  let- 
ers  I  fHUlosed  in  one  parcel,  directed  to  my  old  and 
rusty  friend  Graumaun,  a  merchant  at  Petersburg,  and 
|:onsigned  it  to  the  care  of  Alexander  Schulkins,  wiih  a 
Dromise  that  he  should  receive  fifty  roubles  at  the  hands 
)f  my  friend  on  its  delivery.  This  seemed  to  me  the 
Dest  manner  of  securing  the  due  delivery  of  it,  and  the 
jvent  has  shown  that  I  judged  rightly. 

Every  thing  being  ready  for  my  departure,  I  wailed  on 
he  Governor,  and  having  learnt  that  a  subaltern  was  to 
iccompany  me  to  Kurgan,  I  requested  him  to  allow  ho- 
lest  Ivvanowitcsh,  notwithstanding  his  advanced  age,  to 
:2  the  man.  M.  de  KuschelefF,  who  refused  me  nothinc^ 
n  his  power,  granted  me  this  favour.  To  this  he  added 
)thers.  He  furnished  me  with  letters  of  recommcnda- 
ion  to  the  principal  people  of  Kurgan,  presented  me 
Aith  a  chest  of  line  tea,  which  was  highly  acceptable  to 
ne,  and  propiiised  to  send  me  every  week  the  Frankfort 
lournai,  which  he  took  in  regularly.  He  kept  his  word; 
md,  as  I  have  since  learned,  risked  much  by  his  com- 
plaisance. 

My  kibick,  an  old  worn-out  cart,  which,  ho^vever, 
:ost  me  thirty  roubles,  was  now  loaded.  I  took  a  cold 
md  formal  leave  of  the  Counsellor,  whose  departure 
-vas  to  take  place  the  day  after  mine,  and  which  gave 
lie  ,0  much  the  more  pleasure,  as  he  was  to  be  the  bearer 
)f  my  memorial  to  the  Emperor.    He  went  away  by  no 


128 


mean;;  satisfied  with  the  Gov-erncr,  who  did  not  once, 
vile  him  to  his  table. 

It  was  on  the  I  Sth  of  Jane,  at  two  o'clock  in  the 
ternoon,  that  I  w  alked  with  great  reluctance  to  tl^e  bj 
of  the  Tobob  mj  kibick  being  already  onboard.  On 
way  thither,  a  singular  adventure  took  place.  1 
accosted  by  a  well-dressed  Russian  woman,  and  load? 
with  compliments  on  my  plays.  These  compliments 
appeared  to  me  to  be  ill-timed,  and,  after  making  her  a 
slight  bow,  I  was  passing  oh.  She  stoj)ped  me,  how- 
ever, and  announced  herself  as  one  of  the  company  o 
the  town  comedians,  and  informed  me  that  she  v#s  study- 
ing the  part  of  the  High  Prie=;tess  in  the  Virgin  of  the 
San  ;  but  being  ignorant  of  the  proper  dress  of  such  2 
character,  she  iDCgged  I  would  describe  it  tdlfltr.  Ai 
any  other  time  I  should  have  laughed  at  her/but  ray  de- 
parture  having  thrown  me  jnto  an  ill  humour,  1\  wai 
quite  angry,  and  told  her  with  a  frown  that  a  man  ban- 
ished into  Siberia  could  have  no  inclination  to  trouble  hi) 
head  about  Peruvian  dresses ;  and  begging  her  (o  choos< 
a  robe  according  to  her  own  taste,  1  left  her  in  an  ab- 
rupt manner. 

The  common  road  to  Kurgan  lies  through  a  smal 
town  called  Juluterski,  the  distance  is  little  more  thar 
four  hundred  and  twenty  verstes,  but  the  inundations  0 
the  Tobol  obliged  us  to  fall  back  at  Tiumen,  which  lie; 
on  the  frontiers,  and  from  thence  we  proceeded  south 
vards.;'  At  Tiumen  I  passed  the  night,  at  the  hou><e  0 
a  notary,  who  entertained  us  with  unaffected  hospitality 
Whoever  had  told  me  three  weeks  before,  that  1  shouk 
so  soon  revisit  this  town,  would  have  been  considered  h] 
me  as  an  angel  of  deliverance  :  but  row  I  beheld  it  again 
and  my  liberty  appeared  still  further  off  than  ever  i  Or 
this  journey  I  paid  the  established  nkase-\)Tict  at  eaci 
4age,  which  was  no  more  tlum  one  copccL|i  verste  fo 
two  horses,  which  just  amounted  to  six  Fretich  sols  th< 
German  mile. 

*  At  a  few  posts  from  Tiumen  I  observed,  in  a  mar>h; 
forest,  a  phenomenon  in  botany,  which  I  have  men;.^-r  e 
since  my  return  to  several  Jcarned  naturalists,  noiv.'  c 


129 


whom  had  ever  heard  of  it  before.  On  a  spot  about  six 
jhundred  paces  over,  appeared  an  in:vimcrable  quantity 
of  red  flowers,  and  on  die  top  of  each  there  seemed  to 
lie  a  large  flake  of  snow.  Their  appearance  struck  me, 
EUid,  alighting  from  the  carriage,  I  gathered  several  of 
fhe  flowers,  which  I  shall  now  endeavour  to  describe. 
On  a  stalk  of  about  five  inches  in  height,  the  leaves  of 
which,  as  v/ell  as  I  can  remember,  resemble  those  of 
tlfe  lily  of  the  valley,  hung  a  kind  of  purse,  not  unlike  a 
work-bag,  of  about  an  inch  and  a  half  square,  with  ten- 
ikils  dangling  from  the  upper  end,  as  it  v/ere,  for  the 
l^rpose  ^O^iijtfing  it  up.  This  bag,  which  both  within 
amjiwitliont  was  of  a  fine  deep  purple-colour,  was  fiir- 
nished  with  a  leaf  in  the  form  of  a  heart,  proportioned 
to  the  ©4ier  parts  of  the  flower,  the  top  of  which  was  as 
white  as  snow,  and  the  bottom  of  the  same  colour  as  the 
bag.  This  leaf  opened  and  shut  with  ease,  and  served 
in  some  sort  as  a  lid.  I  am  unable  to  express  how  beau- 
Uful  this  flower  (which,  I  must  observe,  had  no  smell) 
appeared  to  tlie  eye.  I  fear  I  have  not  beei\  able  to 
describe  it  with  any  degree  of  preciseness,  being  but  a 
novic^Wl  the  science  of  botany  ;  I  can,  however,  posi- 
tively assert,  that  it  would  prove  a  very  beautiful  orna- 
ment to  any  garden..  The  great  quantity  of  them  which 
I  saw,  induced  me  to  believe  it  was  a  common  flower 
in  Siberia,  and  I  therefore  neglected  to  take  any  of  them 
with  me.  I  have  regretted  this  a  thousand  times  since, 
for  I  looked  in  vain  for  the  flower  on  my  return,  and  I 
could  And  no  one  that  was  acquainted  with  "it."* 

At  the  distance  of  a  day's  journey  from  Kurgan,  we 
passed  the  nightat  the  house'of  a  priest,  where  we  were 
accommodated^ ith  a  v/ell-furnished  chamber,  and  good 
beds,  and  were  treated  in  the  most  hospitable  manner; 

*  IvT  Person,  to  whom  I  g-ave  a  description  of  this  flower, 
on  r^y  vc.urn  fi-om  Kurg^an,  was  extremely  desirous  to  procurs 
somri  roots  of  it,  and  he  inteiided  to  transplant  them  the  fol- 

I lav,  <^',  mmer,  shoUd  he  he  able  to  discover  vrhere  they  grew- 
Hi\ Ti  :  h_en  obliged  to  make  a  very  irregular  tour  on  accounf 
cf        .  ~ds,  it  is  very  probable  that  I  #iav  have  tluis  made  a 


130 


and  where,  to  my  great  astonishment,  no  payment 
required  from  us  the  next  morning.  I  learnt  that  the 
iage  in  common  was  at  the  expense  of  keeping  up 
liospitable  establishment,  merely  for  the  convenience 
travellers.  Could  the  virtue  and  duty  of  hospitality 
carried  further  than  this  ?  Not  a  peasant  made  his 
pearance  at  our  departure  even  to  receive  our  thanks.^ 

At  four  in  the  afiernoon  we  came  in  sight  of  Kurga 
A  single  steeple  raises  its  head  above  a  group  of  mea 
looking  buildings.  The  town  is  situated  on  an  elevat 
bank  of  the  Tobol :  it  is  surrounded  whh  a  naked 
barren  heath,  which  spreads  itself  on  all  sides,  for 
yeral  verstes,  to  the  foot  of  some  rising  woodlands;  iii^ 
intersected  by  a  great  number  of  lakes,  choked  up  wi 
reeds.  Tlie  rainy  w'cather  by  no  means  rendpted  the 
landscape  more  inviting.  The  name  of  Kurgan,  which 
signifies  a  grave,  I  had  long  considered  as  a  bad  omen. 
With  tears  in  my  eyes,  and  despair  at  my  heart,  I  found 
myself  arrived  at  the  termination  of  my  past,  and  the  be. 
ginning  of  my  future  miseries ;  and  as  the  fiocds  obliged 
us  to  approach  the  town  by  a  circuitous  route,  I  had  am- 
ple leisure  to  contemplate  the  grave  which  was^lboutto 
receive  its  living  victim. 

In  the  midst  of  a  cluster  of  wooden  cottages,  of  one 
story  high,  a  single  house,  built  of  stone,  and  not  in  a 
bad  style,  now  rose  before  me,  and  appeared  like  a  palace 
in  comparison  with  the  others.  I  inquired  the  name  ol 
its  owner,  and  I  learnt  it  belonged  to  a  certain  M.  de 
Rosen,  formerly  Vice-Go vernor  of  Perm,  who  had  an 
estate  in  this  country. 

The  capricious  taste  of  this  man,  which  had  induced 
him  to  take  up  his  abode  in  this  corner  ♦the  \vorld,  did; 
not  tempt  me  to  covet  his  acquaintance.  "^Tis  name, 
however,  was  German,  and  I  ventured  to  ho^ejie  Vv'as 
descended  from  a  German  famil}\  The  namlrliad  been 
long  dear  to  my  heart.  It  re;ninded  me  of  z  sincere  and 
faithful  friend,  the  old  Baron  de  Rosen,  and  of  his-in- 
ipomparable  ladv,  whom  I  revered  like  a  second  molhcr:; 
21  generous  pair,  w^o  had  oflen  soollied  the  vexalion-.  oi 
fnv  life,  and  Avh^-.-e  name,  at  that  moment,  was  suHi; " 


131 


to  inspire  consolation  and  delight,  even  at  ^in  immeasur- 
able distance. 

After  many  turnings  and  windings,  we  cnnie  to  a  kind 
of  flying-bridge,  a  mere  raft,  fastened  at  each  end  to  the 
opposite  shores  of  the  Tobol,  and  exposed  to  all  the  vio- 
lence of  the  waves.    Every  carriage  that  drove  upon  it 
caused  it  to  sink  considerably,  and  the  greatest  care  wa^ 
!  necessary  to  keep  the  emergent  part  m  sight,  without 
I  which  the  boatmen,  v/ho  stood  on  that  part  which  wa^ 
under  water,  would  have  had  no  guide  to  direct  them 
1  in  crossing  the  ferry. 

\  Kurgan  has  two  spacious  streets,  lying  parallel  to  each 
other.  We  alighted  at  the  house  in  which  the  common 
court  of  justice  is  held:  my  subaltern  entered,  and  quickly- 
returned  with  the  account  of  the  gnroclnitschie,  or  the 
head  of  the  police,  being  from  home,  and  that  the  Pre- 
sident of  the  district  acted  in  his  place.  We  then  drove 
to  him,  and  arriving  at  his  door,  I  was  announced,  and 
in  a  few  minutes  invited  to  v/alk  in. 

I  was  introduced  to  an  old  man  whose  countenance 
was  extremely  engaging,  but  who  imagined  it  was  ne- 
cessary to  assum.e  a  serious  and  important  air  on  this  oc- 
casion. He  saluted  me  coldly,  put  on  his  spectaclesj 
opened  every  paper  which  concerned  me,  and  read  them 
with  great  comiposure  one  after  the  other,  without  pay- 
ing the  least  attention  to  me.  I  thouglit  it  Vv^ould  be  as 
well  to  give  him  a  hint  how  I  wished  to  be  treated,  both 
at  the  present  time  and  in  future,  and  taking  a  chair,  I 
sat  myself  down.  He  cast  a  side  glance  at  me,  and 
«eemed  much  surprised,  but  continued  to  read  on  with- 
out uttering  a  single  word. 

In  an  adjoining  chamber  I  noticed  a  curious  group  of 
persons,  consisting  of  several  grown-up  children,  a  hand- 
some woman  (the  President's  second  wife)  his  mother, 
who  was  alniost  blind,  and  a  middle  aged  man,  in  a 
Polish  dress.  They  all  fixed  their  eyes  on  me  ui  silence, 
and  not  a  word  was  spoken  till  the  reading  of  the  papers 
was  concluded.  Probably  the  Governor  had  recom- 
mended me  to  the  President,  or  rathei  his  own  heart 
spoke  in  my  behalf,  as  he  then  turned  to  me,  and  with 


132 


2.  sir-ilirp;  counlenance  gave  me  liis  hand,  and  welcome 
!ne  to  his  hou>e.  He  presented  me  to  his  iamWy,  aM 
to  the  Pole,  whom  he  congr^tiilaled  on  having  founcM 
companion  in  mi  ■fortune,  and  whom  he  also  recoifl 
mended  to  my  friendship.  I  embraced  him  with  cofl 
ini>eration,  and  we  botii  fcli  that  the  similarity  of  oM 
destinies  would  soon  make  us  brothers  and  fi-iends.  ^ 
The  President  of  the  common  tribunal  of  fhe  province, 
and  at  the  same  time  first  magistrate  of  Kurgan,  was 
named  De  Gravi.  His  lather,  a  Swedish  officer,  who 
had  been  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Pultava,  had 
been  sent  into  Siberia  with  many  of  his  fellow-soldiers. 
He  married  a  native  of  the  country,  and  died  in  exile. 
His  son  served  in  the  Russian  army,  fought  during  the 
seven  years  war,  returned  afterwards  to  the  place  of  his 
birth,  anil  having  changed  a  military  tor  a  civil  employ- 
ment, lived  satisfied  and  happy  on  a  moderate  income; 
at  least  he  always  appeared  cheerful  and  content.  He 
had  lately  been  nan)ed  Aulic  Counsellor,  and  though  not 
foolishly  vain,  he  seemed  not  a  little  flattered  by  the 
It-le. 

After  the  first  compliments  were  over,  he  began  to 
think  about  providing  me  with  a  lodging,  which,  accord- 
ing to  the  Go\'ernor's  order,  was  to  be  one  of  .the  best 
that  could  be  found.  Such  lodging,  however,  being  oi 
the  number  of  those  the  Crown  disposes  of,  and  which 
the  proprietor  of  the  town  is  obliged  to  furnish  gratis  on 
the  arrival  of  an  exile,  it  is  natural  enough  that  everjf 
inhabitant  does  all  he  can  to  avoid  this  disagreeable  tax, 
and  that  he  whose  lot  it  is  to  submit  to  it,  accoinmodate? 
the  unbidden  guest  with  the  worst  room  in  the  house.  • 

M.  de  Gravi,  who  had  been  a  'ong  time  considering 
th's  mritter,  at  last  named  for  my  host  a  kind  of  adjutant, 
a  linle  hump-bficked  m.an.  He  then  invited  me  to  sup-^ 
per,  but  I  begged  he  would  excuse  me,  as  I  stood  ir' 
great  need  of  rest,  and  wished  likewise  to  arrange  mj 
affairs  at  my  new  lodgings. 

I  accompanied  my  guide,  who  led  me  to  a  small  low- 
built  h.ouse,  where  I  was  nearly  breaking  my  head  ii 
goir.g  in  at  the  door.    This  beginning  promised  but  nil 


ijry  accommodation,  and  tlie  rooms  I  v/as  shown  into 
Ivere  still  less  inviling.    They  were  nothing  better  iJian 
inere  holes,  in  which  a  man  could  hardly  stand  upright; 
ihe  wails  were  naked,  there  wa:.  no  bed,  nor  any  ofhcr 
jurniture  than  a  table  and  two  wooden  stools;  the  win- 
liows  were  patched  with  paper.    I  sighed  iiom  tlie  to(- 
■;rn  of  my  heart;  the  mistress  of  the  house  retained  my 
in  a  mo^t  cordial  manner,  and  with  silent  i!l-huniour 
!;out  clearing  the  place  of  £ome  linen,  a  lew  bioken 
iis,  and  some  old  clothes,  which  she  had  been  ac- 
•med  to  keep  there. 
[  grew,  however,  in  some  degree  reconciled  to  the 
);i^:ng,  and  began  to  make  my  little  arrangements  as 
,  til  as  I'was  able.    Scarce!)'  had  I  been  an  hour  in  the 
cuse,  when  the  worthy  De  Gravi  sent  me  a  ham,  two 
)a\  es  of  bread,  some  eggs,  fresh  butter,  and  other  pro- 
Isions,  out  of  which  my  dexterous  Rossi  prepared'  an 
xccllent  supper,  rather  indeed  for  himself  than  for  me. 
ii'er  this  I  endeavoured  to  invoke  the  power  of  sleep 
)r  the  first  time  at  Kurgan,  but  the  distress  of  mind  un- 
er  which  I  laboured,  and  the  myriads  of  insects  that  tci 
lented  me,  did  not  allow  me  to  close  my  eyes. 
The  next  day,  rather  early  in  the  morning,  I  received 
le  visits  of  the  principal  people  of  the  town.    These  I 
lall  name  in  succession,  to  give  the  reader  an  idea  or 
'hat  is  termed  good  company  at  Kurgan. 
Stephen  OsipoiuUsch  Mammejef  was  kapitan  isprazvmk, 
r  intendant  of  the  province,  as  far  as  relates  to  the  police, 
te  repairs  of  bridges  and  public  roads,  the  collection  of 
&:c.    Ke  likewise  heard  and  decided  all  ditferences 
^  among  the  peasantry.    He  was  a  clever,  jovial 
\  ery  civil,  and  in  easy  circumstances.    Some  traits 
:ury  even  were  to  be  found  in  his  house,  but  luxury 
J  ways  accompanied  by  good  taste.  .1  remember, 
-  tancc,  to  have  remarked  in  one  of  the  rooms  se- 
•>mall  tables  and  tea-boards,  orna^nted  with  sonie 
'v-'>Dies  of  engravings,  execut(?d  and  varnished  over 
.ufactory  of  Ekaterinabourg.    These  pieces  of 
,vcre  very  expensive ;  but,  instead  of  their  be- 
^cd  either  as  tables  or  tea-boards,  tliey  were  hung 
M 


against  the  wall  like  so  many  pictures,  and  the  feet  whi 
belonged  to  the  former  were  placed  in  different  parta 
the  room  as  mere  ornaments. 

Juda  Nikitiich,  a  scdatel,  or  assessor  of  the  comm^ 
tribunal,  the  brother  to  a  female  friend  of  the  Governoi; 
who  had  given  me  a  letter  of  recommendation  to  hi 
was  a  very  shallow  and  insignificant  personage. 

Another  scdatd,  still  more  insignificant  than  the  forme 

The  secretary  of  the  tribunal,  a  good  sort  of  a  ms 
who  had  no  very  humble  notions  ot  his  own  capaci^ 
He  was  the  only  inhabitant  of  Kurgan  that  took  in 
Moscow  Gazette. 

A  very  ignorant  surgeon. 

Such  \Aas  the  narrow  circle,  exclusive  of  the  abs 
master  of  the  police,  in  w  hich  I  was  to  pass  the  glooi 
remnant  of  my  days. 

The  most  interesting  man  in  all  die  place  was 
tainly  the  Polish  gentleman  of  whom  I  have  aires 
spoken,  whose  name  was  lii'an  Sokoloff.  He  possessc 
an  estate  situated  upon  the  new  Russian-Prussian  fron- 
tiers, and  had  neither  taken  arms  nor  had  any  concern 
directly  or  indirectly  in  the  revolution  of  Poland.  A 
Iricnd  of  his,  who  kept  up  a  correspondence  with  some 
of  the  new  Prussian  subjects,  imagined  he  might  receive 
his  letters  with  more  certainty  by  having  them  addressee 
to  Sokoloif,  and,  without  informing  him  of  the  matter 
pointed  out  that  way  of  communication  to  his  correspon- 
dents. The  first  letter  was  intercepted.  Sokoloff,  wh( 
was  a  perfect  stranger  to  the  whole  transaction,  was  a! 
dinner  in  the  neighbourhood,  with  his  friend  Genera 
Wielhurski,  when  he  was  arrested  with  several  others 
both  innocent  and  guilty.  They  were  a  long  time  con; 
fined  as  state  prisoners,  in  a  fortress  of  which  I  ibrg«: 
the  name.  The  business  was  reported  at  Petersburg 
and  they  all  obtained  their  pardon  on  condition  of  beini 
transported  into  |^beria  for  life. 

Sokoloff  and  his  companions  were  throw-n  into  kibick- 
and  conducted  to  the  place  of  their  destination,  Th 
road  lay  within  a  few  verstes  of  his  estate:  In  vain  h 
petitioned  to  be  permitted  to  bid  farewell  to  his  fam^ 


135 

I  .  ■ 

to  take  a  little  linen  and  some  clotiic^  wIlIi  him  ;  no  at- 
tention was  paid  to  his  entreaties.  In  the  same  kibicik 
he  was  dragged  on  to  Tobolsk.  At  that  place  he  was 
separated  from  his  friends,  and  sent  to  Kurgan,  where 
he  has  led  a  most  melanclioly  lil'e  tor  three  years  past, 
without  having  received  the  least  intelligence  of  his  wife 
land  six  children. 

'  Not  being  allowed  more  than  about  fifteen  French  sols 
a  day  by  the  crown,  he  is  obliged  to  forego  every  con- 
ivenlence  and  comfort  of  life,  in  order  to  provide  himself 
with  necessaries.  During  the  winter  he  has  been  shut 
ap  in  the  same  hole  with  a  landlord  who  w^as  never  so- 
mber, and  a  landlady  who  was  always  out  of  humour,  sur- 
rounded with  dogs  and  cats,  poultry  and  hogs.  In  the 
uimmer,  for  the  sake  of  being  alone,  he  has  lived  in'  a 
pow-house,  where  I  have  often  visited  him.  A  bare 
jedstead,  a  small  table,  a  chair,  a  bason  and  a  crucifix, 
jomprise  the  catalogue  of  all  his  furniture,  and  all  his 
vealth. 

Notwithstanding  the  galling  misery  that  oppresses  him, 
le  refuses  every  present  that  is  oifered  him,  lives  upon 
nilk,  bread  and  quass,  and  appears  always  decently 
Iressed.    He  is  beloved  by  every  one  in  the  town,  and 
he  only  name  by. which  he  is  called  is  iranuschka.'^'  Hc 
s  particularly  well  received  by  M.  de  Gravi,  as  he  unites 
o  uncommon  goodness  of  heart,  the  manners  of  polished 
ociety,  and  is  able  to  preserve  under  the  pressure  of  ad- 
versity an  equanimity  of  mind,  which  I  have  often  ad- 
tiired,  and  sometimes  envied,  being  myself  unable  to 
ttain  it.    It  was  only  when  he  was  alone  with  me,  after 
'aving  repeated  twenty  times  over  the  history  of  our 
•    tunes,  told  each  other  the  names  of  our  favourite 
cn,  and  concluded  by  naming  every  one  of  them, 
'le  tears  would  start  into  his  eyes,  and  a  deep  me- 
•  ly  take  possession  of  him. 

J  happily  for  me,  he  did  not  spealdlFrench,  nor  even 
I  circumstance  very  unusual  among  the  natives 


wcrd  signifies  a  man  full  of  goodness  and  condescen- 
•ud  a  lover  of  children. 


136  ■ 

ot  Poland,  often  found  it  difricult  to  iinderstaH 

each  other,  for,  -aUbough  he  spoke  Rtis^^ian  much  betfl 
than  I  did,  he  had  only  learnt  it  at  Kurgan,  and  his  PolM 
accent  often  rendered  it  unintelligible  to  me ;  but  <fl 
iiearts  were  the  better  acquainted  on  this  very  ?iccouJ 
In  the  bosom  of  misfortune,  two  strangers  felt  themsel« 
more  intimately  united  than  any  other  connection  coifl 
Jiave  made  them; -had  we  been  born  twins^  the  unij 
could  not  have  been  closer.  M 
With  a  single  trait  I  shall  finish  the  character  of  tfl 
extraordinary  man.  He  has  been  so  scrupulously  honoij 
able  as  to  reject  every  offer  that  has  been  made  him  M 
convey  letters  to  his  family,  solely  because  he  had  promisee 
government  never  to  avail  himself  of  any  indirect  means 
whatever  to  carry  on  a  correspondence  with  any  of  his 
relations,  tliat  indulgence  having  been  strictly  prohibited 
him. 

I  now  reUirn  to  mv  own  history.  Not  one  of  those 
•'.vho  came  to  see  me  on  the  day  after  my  arrival,  came 
empty-handed:  every  one  brought  me  something  either 
to  eat  or  to  drink,  and  I  was  at  a  loss  lor  room  to  store  their 
f^re^^ents.  M.  de  Gravi  came  in  person  to  know  liow  I 
iiked  my  new  lodging;  I  confessed  it  did  not  please  me 
at  all.  He  immediately  offered  to  accompany  me  over 
the  whole  town  in  quest  of  such  as  he  was  able  to  dis- 
pose of:  I  accepted  his  otTer  with  gratitude,  and  we 
passed  a  great  part  of  the  day  in  examining  several  lK)uses, 
but  most  of  them  were  found  to  be  still  worse,  and  very 
few  better,  than  that  of  which  I  had  taken  possession ; 
there  w^as  every  where  such  want  of  rooms,  that  had  1 
changed,  my  servant  must  have  slept  in  the  same  cham- 
ber with  myself^ — a  circumstance  1  could  not  have  sup- 
ported. 

At  length  I  requested  M.  de  Gravi  to  allow  me  to 
look  out  for  myself,  being  desirous  to  try  if  money,  the 
3naster-key  to  Gvd$^'  door,  would  not  procure  me  an  abode 
where  I  might  find  better  accommodations.  He  f:-ecly 
gave  me  leave,  observing  at  the  same  time  that  1  s-:o  .Id 
nnd  nothing  to  my  liking.  I  chielly  reiied  on  m  •  in- 
U  lii^ent  KosiK  wiio,  in  the  course  of  tw-enh'-four  i  •  <  •■ 


137 


was  well  acquainted  with  the  town,  and  had  perhaps  al- 
ready over-reached  some  of  its  unsuspecting  inliabitants. 
He  began  to  make  inquiries,  and  soon  returned  with  in- 
formation, that  I  migiit  become  sole  master  of  a  small 
inew  l|pus4|  if  I  chose  to  make  a  sacrifice  of  tlic  sum  of 
fifteen  roubles  a  month.  The  owner  ^vas  a  tradesman, 
iwho,  allured  by  the  love  of  gain,  would  willingly  give  up 
his  whole  habitation,  and  confine  himself  to  a  small  apart- 
II men t  behind  it. 

I  went  immediately  to  the  man  and  took  a  survey  of 
Ithe  house,  which  I  found  so  convenient  and  well  fur- 
Jnished,  considering  the  place  we  were  in,  that  it  much 
surpassed  my  expectations.    It  consisted  of  one  large 
I  room,  another  of  less  size,  together  with  a  warm,  and 
jspacious  kitchen,  and  a  kind  of  lumber-room,  which  the 
i  Russians  call  kladarai.     The  partitions,  indeed,  were 
\  only  naked  boards,  but  the  landlord  had  ornamented  them 
with  coloured  prints,  and  pictures  painted  in  oil;  these 
were  executed  badly  enough,  as  it  may  be  imagined,  but 
thus  furnished  an  agreeable  illusion,  which  made  me  in 
some  sense  forget  where  I  was.  Among  them,  for  instance, 
were  several  of  the  productions  of  Nuremburg,  a  female 
inhabitant  of  Augsburg,  a  Leipsic  lass,  a  vender  of  crack- 
nels of  Vienna,  all  with  German  inscriptions.    The  mere 
sight  of  a  dozen  lines  written  in  my  own  language,  ren- 
dered me  so  happy,  that  I  could  not  summon  sufficient 
resolution  to  give  up  these  interesting  remembrancers. 
There  were  besides  these,  some  bad  copies  of  Lady 
Hamilton's  attitudes,  and  the  Herculaneum  paintings, 
I  landscapes, &c.   The  portraits  in  oil  were  done  in  Russia, 
'  and  represented  the  Czars;  that  is  to  say,  the  painter 
j  having  daubed  the  canvass  with  some  long-bearded 
j  figures,  had  decorated  them  with  a  Czar's  cap,  and  put 
;  an  imperial  globe  in  their  hands,  and  written  under  them 
j  the  name  of  xilexi  Michailoidsch,  or  some  such  imperial 
I  appellation. 

I     The  furniture  consisted  of  two  wooden  benches  with 
i  backs  !o  them,  which  were  dignified  with  the  name  of 
sofas,  because  a  cushion,  covered  with  printed  cotton, 
:  been  placed  on  them;  there  were  also  some  tables 
M  a 


138 


r\iiJ  clmiis.    Tliere  wa^  besides,  a  cupboard  stored  wi 
c  iiina,  but  locked  up,  and  sacred  to  the  exclusive  use 
the  landlady.    The  windows  opened  into  the  street; 
hind  the  house  tliere  was  a  spacious  yard,  which  exter 
ed  to  the  banks  of"  tlie  Tobol,  and  opened  ^|lP!]g||v< 
agreeable  walk.    Tlie  apartment  my  landlord  occupi 
Tvas  entirely  separated  f  rom  mine.  Alltliese  considerati< 
uni'ted,  tenjpted  me  to  close  with  the  extravagant  teri 
(hat  Vv-ere  demanded,  which  wotdd  have  been  a 
iderable  price  even  at  Petersburg,  and  which  ill  accoi 
ed  with  the  low  state  of  my  finances.    I  agreed  to  ta 
possession  the  same  day. 

An  obj  tacle  1  did  not  at  all  expect,  at  first  counleract( 
jny  plan.  Mv  good  friend  De  Ciravi  would  not  consent 
lo  see  me  lavish  away  so  much  monev.  He  continually 
repeated — Wiiat  a  sum  lor  a  town  like  Kurgan  !  A  price 
<iuite  unheard  of!  He  even  sent  for  the  landlord,  ar.cl 
treated  him  so  roughly,  that  the  latter  was  on  the  poirf 
(•f  breaking  otTthe  agreement.  He  repeated  to  me  twei^* 
f  tines  a  Russian  pro\  erb:  Beregid  denje  na  tschonii  dn.  . 
i'.v  by  your  money  for  a  dark  day!  Me  had  even  some 
; noughts  of  inibrming  the  Governor  of  the  transaction : 
because,  as  he  observed,  his  duty  required  him  to  watch 
';\  erme;  and,  in  short,  I  had  great  trouble  to  convince 
iiim  that  I  was  able  to  bear  the  expense;  and  that  at  all 
times  it  had  been  a  maxim  with  me  to  prefer  a  good 
lodging  to  a  good  table.  At  length  he  yielded,  but  not 
before  my  landlord  promised  him  to  furnish  me  with  fire- 
wood and  qiiass  for  the  same  price,  and  I  then  took  pos- 
session of  my  rooms ;  every  time,  however,  that  I  met 
him  afterwards,  I  had  to  support  his  lamentations  at  thCj 
extravagant  price  of  my  lodging. 

Jt  is  true,  had  the  remittances  I  hoped  to  receive  from 
Livonia  failed  me;  had  ail  my  wife's  letters  to  me  beeUj 
intercepted;  had  my  wife  not  ventured  to  join  me,  or 
?iot  been  allowed  to  do  it,  I  should,  at  the  end  of  six 
months,  have  been  very  much  embarrassed,  as  the  Cr  m  n 
.  iiad  not  allowed  me  a  copeck.  I  had,  however,  money  for 
the  present,  and  hope  for  the  future,  and  no<hing  cou!' 
induce  me  to  refrain  from  a  temporary  mitigation  oF  n;N 
Living  also  was  so  cheap  at  Kurgan,  my  v.-ant' 


I  139  . 

[were  so  few,  and  the  opportunities  of  falling  into  extra- 
ordinary expenses  so  rare,  tliat  I  calculated  my  money 
was  in  fact  sufficient,  with  good  economy,  to  supply  mc 
i  Cor  a  wholQ  year;  and  that  in  the  space  of  a  year  many 
a  change  might  take  place  ! 

I  shall  mention  the  price  of  several  kinds  of  provisions, 
observing  at  tlie  same  time,  that  my  honest  servant  sel- 
idom  failed  to  cheat  me  out  of  one  half  of  the  sums  I  en- 
iitrusted  to  him.  Bread  cost  at  the  rate  of  four  French  sols 
ijlbr  a  loaf  of  six  pounds  weight ;  beef  sold  for  a  sol  and  a 
llhalf  a-pound ;  a  fowl  a  sol  and  a  half ;  butter  from  three 
|to  four  sols  a-pound ;  a  couple  of  heath-cocks,  at  most 
jlbur  sols;  hares  without  their  skins  were  to  be  had  for 
nothing,  as  the  Russians  never  eat  tliem;  a  dish  of  fish 
two  sols;  a  cord  of  wood  a  livre.  The  most  confirmed 
drinker  could  not  swallow  more  than  half  a  sol  of  quass 
a  day.  I  once  took  an  opportunity  of  asking  M.  de 
Gravi,  in  the  presence  of  the  Kapitan  Ispraxcmk,  what 
the  expense  of  keeping  a  pair  of  horses  would  amount 
to.  He  replied,  thirty  roubles  a  year  would  be  sufficient. 
"  What  do  you  say  !  thirty  roubles?"  cried  the  other,  in- 
terrupting him  ;  I  will  undertake  to  keep  them,  and  in 
excellent  condition  too,  for  twenty-five!" 
,  '  Trom  the  above  statement,  it  appears  what  a  trifle  is 
sufiicient  to  procure  the  necessaries  of  life  at  Kurgan; 
but  the  misfortune  is,  that  they  are  not  always  to  be  pur- 
chased. There  is  neither  baker  nor  butcher  in  the  whole 
town :  once  a  week,  on  Sunday  afternoon,  a  kind  of 
market  is  kept,  in  which  the  inhabitants  must  provide 
themselves  with  bread  and  meat  for  the  whole  week, 
ilt  often  happens  too,  that  this  market  is  Vvithout  a  supply 
of  meat. 

Other  articles,  particularly  articles  of  luxury,  are,  0:1 
contrary,  exorbitantly  dear.      A  quart  of  French 
.  ly  costs  two  roubles  and  a  half;  sugar  a  rouble  a- 
,;d;  coffee  a  rouble  and  a  half,  or  upwards;  half  a 
n  packs  of  ugly  cards,  seven  roubles;  a  quire  of 
'ti  paper,  about  three  roubles, 

i^Cbe,  however,  are  articles  a  man  may  do  without, 
I  found,  at  the  end  of  the  first  week,  iliat  I  \v&d 


140 


hardly  spent  two  roubles,  including-  washing,  candl 
and  other  trifling  tilings.     It  is  true  my  table  was 
frugal  as  I  was  able  to  make  it.    The  delicacies  whi 
appeared  on  it,  consisted  ot"  bread,  and  flour  (with  win 
M.  de  Gravi  took  care  to  supply  me  twice  a  week,  a 
which  is  a  scarce  article  at  Kurgan)  and  in  excellent  fr 
butter.    Of  the  latter  I  never  eat  belter  in  any  part 
the  world:  its  good  quality  arises  from  the  rich  pastura 
in  the  neighbourhood,  where  the  cattle  graze  at  wi 
In  addition  to  my  bread  and  butter,  1  had  sometime 
low]  stewed  with  rice,  or  a  pigeon,  or  a  duck,  whic 
had  shot  myself ;  and  my  dessert  was  nothing  more  th 
a  draught  of  quass.    1  arose  every  day  from  table  sal 
fled,  but  never  with  a  full  stomach  ;  and  I  have  rea 
to  believe  it  is  to  that  circumstance  I  am  indebted 
the  uninterrupted  state  of  good  health  which  I  latte 
enjoyed  at  Kurgan. 

My  way  of  living  in  general  was  as  follows;  I  rose 
six,  and  studied  the  Russian  language  for  an  hour;  as 
a  soul  in  the  town  spoke  any  other,  it  was  absolutely 
cessary  to  recover  that  knowledge  which  I  had  lost  throug 
disuse.  I  tlien  took  my  breakfast,  and  sat  down  forsome 
hours  to  the  history  of  my  misfortunes.  After  this  task, 
which  at  length  became  pleasant  to  me,  1  usually  walk- 
ed on  the  banks  of  the  Tobol  in  my  bed-gown  and  slip- 
pers. I  had  marked  out  the  extent  of  two  verstes,  which 
was  my  daily  exercise,  and,  as  I  have  already  observed; 
I  could  go  there  through  the  yard-door  unobserved.  At 
my  return  I  uj^ually  read  Seneca;  I  then  took  my  plair 
dinner,  after  which  I  indulged  myself  with  an  hour's  nap. 
and  when  I  awoke,  took  up  Pallas  or  Gmelin,  till  Soko 
lofl^  called  on  me  to  take  the  diversion  of  shooting.  Or 
our  return  he  generally  drank  tea  with  me,  over  whicl 
we  repeated  the  story  of  our  misfortunes,  imparted  t» 
each  other  our  hopes,  or  combatted  each  other' feari 
After  his  departure  I  again  read  Seneca,  and  eat  a  si^cc  o 
bread  and  butter  for  ray  supper ;  I  then  played  aiunc  t 
grandc  patience,  *  and  went  to  bed  more  or  less    .  .  rvvfii 


A  kind  of  fortune-telling  game  at  cards. 


I' 

am  almost  ashamed  to  own  it)  as  the  game  had  prove»I 
jmore  or  less  successful. 

j  Whoever  has  uudei  gone  a  series  of  misfortunes,  must 
Icertainlyhave  experienced  that  the  mind  is  never  more 

« prone  to  superstition  than  v/hen  under  the  immediate  con- 
trol of  grief.  Wh^t  would  be  considered  as  a  mere 
[nothing  under  other  circumstances,  acquires  importance 
during  the  hour  of  affliction.  A  mere  straw  will  then  at- 
tract our  notice,  and,  notwithstanding  the  firm  persuasion 
that  this  straw  is  not  able  to  bear  a  fly,  yet  we  would  fain 
lay  hold  of  it,  and  are  unhappy  if  we  miss  it."  I  must  con- 
fess, that  scarcely  an  evening  passed  at  Kurgan,  in  which 
I  did  not  put  the  question  to  myself,  as  I  was  playing 
jat  patience,  whether  I  should  see  my  family  again  or  not. 
IWhen  the  game  succeeded  (I  should  do  wrong  to  say  it 
:filled  me  with  hope  and  delight,  but)  it  always  gave  mc^. 
pleasure,  and  when  the  game  was  not  successful  (I  should 
Ibe  equally  blameable  to  say,  that  it  increased  my  atliiction 
or  despair,  but)  it  never  failed  to  give  me  some  unea';i- 
ness.  Smile,  reader;  you  have  my  permission.  Ridi- 
cule me,  ye  happy  mortals,  whose  bark  has  ever  glided 
down  a  clear  smooth  stream,  whose  banks  are  enamelled 
with  flowers:  ridicule  the  wretch  who,  as  he  clings  to 
Lhc  wreck  of  his  vessel,  is  tossed  by  the  waves  on  the 
wide  ocean,  and  eagerly  endeavours  to  grasp  tiie  mosi 
slender  weed.  ,  ^ 

In  this  manner  my  time  passed  away.    I  suffered  no 
khid  of  restraint,  and  no  one  overlooked  my  conduct. 
My  subaltern,  Iwanowitsch,  had  returned  to  Tobolsk 
die  day  after  my  arrival,  and  it  was  not  judged  necessa- 
ry to  put  another  in  his  place,  as  had  been  done  in  the 
case  of  Sokoloffon his  first  arrival  here.    All  kind  of  super- 
intendance  would  have  been  needless  precaution:  our  field 
i  indeed  drew  us  sometimes  several  verstes  from  the 
1 ;  but  whither  could  w^e  have  fled?  Kurgan  had  for- 
iV  been  considered  as  the  frontier  of  the  Kirgist? ;  but 
.  lany  years  this  frontier  had  been  removed  backward 
^  tiian  sixty  verstes,  and  a  fort  erected  to  cover  it. 
i.  pad  Lhe  borders  still  extended  to  the  neighlx)Ur- 
^^argan,  it  could  i:ot  have  facilitated  the  escnpe 

i 


142 


I 


of  people  tolally  unprepared  for  such  an  enterprise,  ill 
quainted  vvltiithe  Russian  language,  and  wholly  ignorant 
of  the  Kirgish.  Even,  in  any  case,  the  idea  of  llrghl 
would  be  the  last  resort  of  despair :  for  the  inhabitants  of 
Kurgan  still  remember,  with  horror,  the  time  in  w  hich 
they  could  not  venture  out  of  the  town,  without  the  risk 
of  being  carried  off  by  the  Kirgists,  who  were  then  ever 
on  the  watch.  The  captive  w^as  tied  to  the  tail  of  a 
horse,  and  obliged  to  follow  the  rider,  who  rode  off  at 
full  gallop!  The  latte»cared  but  little  for  the  cries  and 
groans  of  the  wretch  he  w^as  dragging  along :  when  he 
came  home  he  examined  whether  he  was  alive  or  dead; 
in  the  first  case,  he  made  him  his  slave,  or,  what  was 
more  common,  sold  him  to  the  Bucharians,  who  trans- 
ported him  heaven  knows  where.  We  had  reason, 
therefore,  to  be  happy  in  this  enjoyment  of  the  sports  of 
the  field,  free  from  the  dread  of  these  monsters ! 

The  diversion  of  footing  was  extremely  agreeable  to 
me,  tliough  we  were  but  ill  provided  for  it.  We  pos- 
fessed  nothing  more  than  two  miserable  guns,  wdiich 
generally  missed  fire  four  or  five  times  before  they  went 
off.  The  whole  town  did  not  afford  a  pointer,  nor  even 
a  ?^paniel  to  fetch  our  game  out  of  the  water.  The  neigh- 
bourhood being  full  of  lakes  and  marshes,  our  principal 
sport  consisted  in  shooting  woodcocks  and  wild  ducks; 
vvc  were  therefore  obliged  to  perform  the  office  of  a 
spaniel  ourselv^es,  and  wade  up  to  our  middle  in  water 
to  look  for  our  prey.  My  Polish  friend  was  much  more 
expert  in  this  fatiguing  exercise  than  I  was.  He  would 
plunge  into  the  deepest  waters,  and  w  ade  about  for  half 
an  hour  together,  firing  among  the  reeds,  or  looking  for 
those  birds  which  I  had  shot  from  the  banks.  He  was 
equal  to  the  best  spaniel  in  every  respect  but  his  nose; 
and  indeed  a  dog  was  not  very  necessary  to  us,  on  ac- 
count of  the  great  abundance  of  game.  Never  had  I 
seen  in  Europe  so  many  rooks  in  -one  flight,  as  I  saw 
wild  ducks  of  an  hundred  different  sorts,  in  flocks  in  this 
country.  Some  were  very  small ;  some  had  round,  others 
flat  beaks ;  some  long, and  others  short  ones.  There  were 
some  with  short  legs,  others  with  long,  and  of  g  'C; 


143 

Ibrown  colours,  or  of  black,  with  yellow  beaks.  Somc- 
'  ;irae<?,  though  rarely,  we  met  with  the  great  Persian 

iiuck,  of  a  rose  colour,  with  black  beak,  and  a  tuft  on 
His  head.    Every  time  we  shot  at  this  bird,  it  screamed 

;n  a  most  lamentable  manner,  even  when  we  had  missed 
||3ur  aim. 

I  The  species  of  woodcocks  were  likewise  equally  nu- 
limerous  and  various.  Some  we  saw  of  about  the  size  of 
a  pigeon,  of  a  brown  yellow  colour,  with  long  legs  and 
;a  frill  of  feathers  round  their  n(^s*.  They  build  their 
nests  among  the  reeds,  and  the^^always  fly  about  the 
fowler,  and  make  a  singular  noise ;  we  seldom  shot  at 
them,  as  their  flesh  has  a  disagreeable  taste.  Twice  I 
[discovered  some  birds  as  white  as  snow,  and  of  the  size 
|of  a  goose,  wdth  long  legs  and  beaks,  which  were  both 
times  seeking  their  Ibod  on  the  border  of  a  lake;  but 
';they  were  so  wild,  that  they  flew  away  when  w^e  ad- 
:vanced  within  two  hundred  paces  ^||ithem.  I  nev^er  was 
jable  to  learn  their  names. 

1  Besides  ducks  and  woodcocks,  we  found  wild  pigeons 
|in  abundance,  and  blackbirds,  flying  in  such  immense 
flocks,  that  wherever  they  alighted  on  a  tuft  of  trees, 
they  covered  it  entirely.  Their  flesh  was  delicious,  but 
our  small  stock  of  powder  obliged  us  to  be  very  sparing 
of  our  shots. 

My  Pole  informed  me,  that  in  the  end  of  autumn  all  sorts 
of  game  multiplied  prodigiously ;  and  that  hares  and  heath- 
cocks  were  to  be  found  every  where.  He  assured  me  like- 
i  wise,  and  I  had  heard  the  same  at  Tobolsk,  that  the  turkev, 
called  in  Russia  drachua,  was  som.etimes  to  be  met  with 
here.  Bears  were  unknown  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Kurgan,  and  wolves  were  not  common,  as  those  animals 
seldom  haunt  flat  countries.  The  sable  is  scarce  in  those 
parts,  but  the  ermine  is  found  in  great  plenty.  The  goss- 
hawk,  both  great  and  small,  filled  the  air,'  and  so  little 
did  they  avoid  the  abodes  of  man,  that  they  were  often 
shot  from  the  very  windows  of  the  town.  Having  been 
always  fond  of  the  sports  of  the  field,  the  permission  given 
me  to  shoot  proved  one  of  my  most  agreeable  pastimes. 
"    :  coiuitry  itself  likewise  contributed  n^uch  to  my 


144 


amusement.    Where^'er  I  walked,  tLe  most  beautil 
flowers  sprang  up  under  my  feet.    1  t-ec[uently  rem? 
ed  the  fine  sj)ir<ca  filipcndida,  and  often  met  with  wh< 
iracts  of  land  entirely  covered  with  sweet-scented  hei 
particularly  the  southern-wood  ( artemisia  arbrotajum 
ivlultitudes  of  horned  cattle  and  horses,  without  any 
to  watcii  them,  grazed  at  will  on  every  side;  and 
weather,  during  the  whole  time  of  my  residence  h< 
liad  been  remarkably  serene.    While  the  inhabitants^ 
Livonia  were  compla^ng  of  cold  and  wet,  in  Asia 
5;ummer  was  both  dr^nd  warm.    Most  days,  indee 
we  were  visited  by  storms,  but  they  were  quickly  ovf 
lu^d  refreshed  the  atmosphere,  without  rendering  it  cole 

Another  of  my  recreations  was  the  exercise  of  long 
F.nd  frequent  walks,  which  I  took  on  the  banks  of  the  To-  \ 
bol.  Several  parts  of  this  river  were  resorted  to  by  the  ; 
girls  of  Kurgan,  for  the  purpose  of  washing  linen,  or  of 
bathing.  Tiiese  ba||p>  afforded  them  a  most  agreeable 
gymnastic  exercise,  and  contributed  greatly  to  their 
health.  They  swam  over  the  stream  without  the  least 
difficulty,  and  lay  on  the  water  without  any  apparent  ef- 
fort,  and  in  this  manner  floated  down  the  current  on  their 
backs.  They  often  gambolled  together,  pursued  one  an- 
other in  the  water,  and  tumbled  one  over  the  other  with 
incredible  dexterity.  They  indeed  carried  their  sports 
nO  far  as  to  alarm  an  inexperienced  spectator,  who  must 
every  moment  have  concluded,  that  some  of  them  would 
^ink  and  be  lost.  Every  thing,  I  must  observe,  was  car- 
ried on  with  the  utmost  decency  ;  their  heads  alone  were 
ribove  the  v/ater,  and  one  might  have  doubted  of  their  sex, 
had  not  their  motions  sometimes  displayed  a  glimpse  of 
tJieir  bosoms ;  a  circumstance  which,  however,  seemed 
totally  disregarded  by  themselves.  Whenever  they  were 
<iesirous  of  ending  their  sport,  and  coming  out  of  the  wa-' 
ter,  they  proceeded  in  a  very  modest  manner.  They 
desired  the  lookers-on  to  retire,  and  if  any  person,  more 
curious  or  mischievous  than  the  re:.t,  refused  to  vvrth- 
<traw,  the  women  on  the  banks  would  form  a  close  cir- 
cle round  the  first  girl  that  came  out,  and  each  of  them 
would  hurry  on  a  part  of  her  clothe?,  so  that-hi  aj; 
she  would  appear  in  a  very  modest  drc:s. 


145 

jn ;  mv 

Tiiese  young  girls  seemed  in  general  to  be  ail  i..  j,vife 
nimoiir,  laughing  and  plaving  Irick^.  Tlie  Kapil/Mt  Ay- 
\)rav:nik,  a.  great  admirer  oF  the  sex,  came  irequently  of 
m  evening  to  my  rooms,  about  the  time  when  the  beau- 
lies  of  Kurgan  were  accustomed  to  fetch  water  from  the 
Tobol,  and  would  sit  with  me  at  the  window  to  see 
[hem  pass  by.  He  would  name  them  to  me  one  after 
I  he  otiier,  ))oast  of  favours  he  liad  received  from  many  of 
hem  ;  and  the  lialf-familiar,  half-bashful  manner  in  which 
hey  salufcrl  him,  seemed  but  tod%ell  to  confirm  what 
le  had  said. 

The  frequent  visits  of  the  inhabitants  of  Kurgan  be- 
'^ame  'at  length  very  troublesome  to  me,  tliough  I  could 
jiot  but  be  sensible  of  their  good  intentions.  A  notary,  who 
jived  opposite  to  me,  having  sometimes  seen  me'  smoke 
jit  the  window,  and  v/ho  was  himself  a  great  smoker, 
informed  me  he  would  come  over  and  take  his  pipe  with 
;ne  every  morning,  by  way  of  kee|l^ig  m.e  company. — 
t  was  with  tlie  greatest  difliculty  that  I  could  prevail 
»n  him  to  give  up  his  scheme,  for  neither  he,  nor  any 
me  at  Kurgan,  could  conceive  it  possible  that  a  man 
hould  wish  to  be  always  alone  and  fond  of  solitude.;: — 
They  knew  not  that,  with  the  iniage  of  a  beloved  wife 
1  my  heart,  and  Seneca  in  my  hand,  I  could  never  b(5 
vithout  company. 

I  owe  much,  I  owe  every  thing  to  Seneca;  and  I  be- 
leve  that  during  eighteen  centuries,  there  has  not  lived 
.  man  in  the  world  who  has  blessed  and  revered  his  me- 
jnory  so  much  as  myself!  Often  when  despair  hadplung- 
l;d  its  poniard  in  my  heart,  I  stretched  out  my  arms  to 
I'his  friend,  who  every  day  administered  the  balm  of 
"fience  and  fortitude  to  my  wounds.    The  similarity 
ir  fates  rendered  him  still  more  dear  to  met*'  He 
;m  exile,  he  was  innocent;  he  passed  eight  melan- 
y  years  among  the  barren  rocks  of  Corsica.  The 
[c->cription  he  gives  of  his  situation  accords  with  my 
Wn.    He  complains  of  an  unpleasant  climate,  of  the 
'  ^.aners  and  uncouth  language  of  the  inhabiiants. 
as  applicable  to  my  own  case  ;  but  that  which 
iran sported  me,  wuv^he  eloquent  and  energetic 


MG 


^"^"!.^"^^'"g  against  the  fear  of  dcLilh,  contained  in  se 
^"Ime  passages  of  his  works.    I  collected  these  with 
and  rendered  them  faniiliar  to  my  mind  and  ray  hi 
I  carried  them  alvvr.ys  about  me,  as  Frederic  the 
carried  the  friendly  poison,  to  which  he  intended  toa| 
had  all  his  hopes  have  failed  him. 

I  cannot  better  paint  the  situation  of  my  mind, 
furnish  the  unhappy,  into  whose  hands  these  sheets 
fall,  with  more  efficacious  consolation,  than  by  transc 
ing  some  of  those  i^itences  which  frequent  repet 
has  imprinted,  not  on  my  memory  alone. 

"  Can  the  least  of  evils  be  deemed  a  great  one?  li 
task  of  despising  death  so  difficult  to  learn  ?  Do  wel 
4;ee  it  practised  every  day  on  the  most  unimportant] 
casions,  even  the  paltry  love  of  gain? — A  slave, 
der  to  escape  from  his  master's  fury,  will  throw^  hii 
headlong  from  the  top  of  a  house  !  A  fugitive,'  fearful 
being  taken,  will#ab  himself:  Shall  not  courage  the 
produce  as  great  efFects  as  fear  ?" 

"  The  loss  of  life  is  the  only  one  which  cannot  be  Ij 
mented  when  it  is  too  late." 

Thou  fallest  into  the  hands  of  an  enemy ;  he  dra^ 
thee^ — whither?  To  that  very  goal  to  which  thou  ha 
been  travelling  ever  since  thou  wert  born." 

Long  life  is  the  wish  of  all  men;  they  are  but  litt 
■solicitous  that  it  should  be  a  wise  and  good  one  :  yet 
is  in  our  power  to  embellish  life  with  virtue,  and  we  ai 
unable  to  prolong  it." 

"  Death  is  the  threshold  of  the  house  of  rest,  and  the 
tremblest  to  set  thy  foot  thereon." 

"  We  are  grown-up  children,  who  fear  death  as  ii 
Jants  do  their  nearest  relation  in  a  mask.  Wha^  relative 
is  nearer  akin  to  us  than  death  ?  Boldly  tear  off  his  masl 
take  from  him  his  axe ;  deprive  him  of  his  attendant 
t}ie  physicians,  the  priests  and  the  mourners,  and  wh 
then  remtiins  ?  ^Nothing  but  death." 

Be  not  terrified  at  the  sound  of  lamentations  ar 
groans!  These  arise  from  pain,  and  not  from  deat 
Every  man  who  has  suffered  the  gout,  every  eiriaciat< 
libertine,  every  vvomate>  childbcJ,  has  supponcr)  pai 
The  more  violent  the  p/Vlifi,  tiie  short£r  its  duratioi..** 


147 


*'  I  shall  die — that  is,  I  shall  cease  to  feel  pain ;  mv 
fetters  will  be  broken;  I  shall  cease  to  lament  niy  wile 
nd  niv  children ;  I  shall  no  longer  be  a  slave,  even  to 
llcath/' 

"  Death  frees  thee  from  all  ills,  even  from  the  fears 
tself  inspires." 

'  Are  we  not  dying  daily  ?  The  child  grows  and  im- 
)roves  in  stature,  but  his  life  decreases.  We  divide 
vith  death  every  one  of  our  days.  It  is  not  in  swallow- 
ng  the  last  drop  that  we  empty  the  cup  of  life ;  to  die  is 
)nly  to  accomplish  life."  ^ 

'  All  thy  life  long  learn  how  to  die,  though  thou  wilt 
36  able  to  make  use  of  what  thou  hast  learnt  but  one 
;irgle  time.  Learn  to  die;  it  is  unlearning  to  be  a 
jlave." 

Neither  children  nor  madmen  fear  death.  How 
lumiliating  to  reason,  not  to  be  able  to  furnish  what  in-r 
sanity  can  procure  !"  ^ 

"  To  die  is  to  become  again  what  we  once  were.  Is 
the  flame  less  happy  when  it  is  extinguished,  than  it  was 
before  it  was  kindled?  Are  we  not  kindled  and  extin- 
guished by  the  breath  of  nature  ?  It  is  an  error  to  say 
death  only  follows  life;  it  precedes  it  likewise.  To  have 
terminated,  and  not  to  have  begun  existence,  must  be 
the  same."  ^ 

Death  is  either  the  end  of  our  journey,  or  a  point 
of  repose,  where  we  change  our  garments.  In  the  lat- 
ter case  we  shall  be  gainers,  for  our  clothes  encumber  us 
on  all  sides.  But  if  it  be  the  end  of  our  journey,  it  weie 
|not  worth  while  to  have  set  out.  We  shall,  how'ever, 
fall  asleep,  excessively  fatigued,  and  shall  not  be  <listurb- 
ed  by  dreams."  '-^  'V 

"  Lil'e  is  merely  a  coasting  voyage :  Childhood,  ycrditli. 
and  manhood  are  passed  by  with  rapidity,  as  towns  and' 
villages  float  before  the  eyes  of  the  navigator:  At  length 
we  perceive  the  port ;  and,  fools  tMkt  we  are,  we  take 
it  for  a  shoal." 

Captivity  is  a  hard  lot:  but  who  compels  thee  to 
.1  slave  ?  A  thousand  ways  lead  to  liberty,  ways  that 
aie  short  and  easy  of  acce^Jfthanks  to  the  Godsi,vbo 
c»jnst;ain  no  man  lo  live  a^lm  his  -vvill. 


S  I, 

1 


118 

Kot  a  long  life,  but  a  pleasant  onr,  constitutes  t, 
Tiappiness  of  our  existence',  lor  which  rea?.on  the  v,j 
man  does  not  live  as  long  as  he  may,  but  as  long  aa 
Jikes.    If  misfortune  oppress  him,  he  throws  off  the  ' 
then.    To  him  it  is  absolutely  indifferent  whether 
waits  the  arrival  of  deaih,  or  goes  out  to  meet  it:  Wh^^ 
ther  he  empties  his  cup  drop  by  drop,  or  at  a  sin^ 
draught."  • 

"  Telesphorus,  the  Rhodian,  was  a  mere  cowj 
Being  shut  up  in  a  ca^,  by  tlie  tyrant  into  whose  hai 
iie  had  fallen,  and  fcW  like  a  wild  beast,  he  said, 
Jong  as  I  am  alive,  I  may  hope."  What  ?  Shal 
man  presume  to  ransom  his  life  at  such  a  price  ?  Tli] 
lellest  me  that  Fortune  may  do  every  thing  for  the  man 
that  stil!  lives,  and  I  answer,  that  she  can  do  nothing 
;!gainst  the  man  who  knows  how  to  die." 

"  How  often  are  we  bled  to  cure  a  head-ache;  and 
thou  hesitatest  to  onen  a  vein  to  terminate  a  miserable 
life!" 

''Among  the  apojJtlesof  virtue  there  are  some  who 
deem  suicide  a  crime;  as  there  are  dogs  which  bark  at, 
you  when  you  approach  the  gate  of  liberty.  The  Crea- 
tor has  been  more  compassionate:  One  road  alone  leads 
into  life;  a  thousand  lead  out  of  it." 

I  am  allowed  to  choose  tj||  house  in  which  I  should 
like  to  dwell,  the  vessel  on  board  of  which  I  should  like 
to  sail ;  and  shall  I  not  choose  the  kind  of  death  which  m-ust 
conduct  me  beyond  the  grave  ?" 

A  long  life  is  not  the  worst  of  things :  for  this  reason 
death  ought  to  be  obedient  to  our  w  ill.  To  others  we 
arc  acocuntable  for  our  hfe ;  to  ourselves  alone  ibr  our 
deaths" 

I  shall  not  take  upon  myself  to  deny,  that  among  the 
foregoing  sentences  there  are  several  which,  on  a  close 
examination,  would  prove  to  be  mere  tinsel  of  words; 
but  who  can  be  diseased  at  me,  tliat,  situated  as  1  wa^ 
I  felt  averse  to  enlCT  into  a  closer  investigation  of  i. 
reasoning  belbre  I  adopted  them?  I  considered  my  r 
hope  as  having  failed  me.    At  the  expiration  of  a  f 
months,  I  saw  mv  dear  •Ke  worn  out  w'uh  grief. 


-  JfeK^wc 


149 


1^  into  her  grave ;  and  Obuljanlnotv,^'  still  more  cruel 
iian  death,  strenuously  preventing  her  coming  to  join 
lie.  I  considered  that  my  money  would  leave  me  with 
!he  summer,  and  that  I  should  then  be  obliged  to  Avork 
is  a  day  labourer  in  a  temperature  of  thirty-six  degrees 
f  cold,  to  earn  a  morsel  of  bread  and  a  draught  of  quass. 
This  melancholy  prospect  I  had  constantly  before  my 
yes,  and  what  resource  had  I  but  death  ? 

My  resolution  was  maturely  weighed,  and  my  plan 
ormed  and  determined  upon.  In  case,  however,  that 
ij  wife  should  have  come  to  me,  I  had  planned  the 
fist,  the  only  means  of  effecting  my  escape.  My  hopes 
iVere  founded  on  the  feasibility  of  traversing  the  interior 
•art  of  Russia,  from  one  end  to  the  other,  without  being 
'een.  I  formed  the  follovvincr  scheme : 
'  I  intended  to  have  made  a  partition  in  my  large  room, 
nd  in  one  of  the  outward  corners  to  have  placed  a  great 
lothes  press.  After  such  preparations,  I  should  have 
ived  two  months  with  my  family,  to  all  appearance  easy 
nd  contented :  After  that  time  1  intended  to  affect  a 
♦regressive  decay  of  health,  and  at  last  a  derangement 
i  mind.  This  deception  should  have  contijiued  for  an- 
ther two  months.  I  should  then  have  placed  my  furred 
leak  and  cap,  some  dark  evening,  upon  the  bank  of 
he  Tobol,  near  the  spot  wiere  the  ice  is  broken  for  the 
•urpose  of  drawing  water.  This  being  done,  I  should 
lave  returned  quietly  home  and  hidden  myself  in  the 
:lothes  press,  vyhicli  should  be  so  contrived  as  to  admit- 
-ir. 

Having  succeeded  thus  far,  my  wife  would  have  spread 
m  alarm;  search  would  have  been  made  after  me;  my 
"lothes  would  have  been  found,  and  every  one  vv©ul^ 
lave  concluded  that  I  had  thrown  myself  into  the  river: 
I  letter  in  my  own  hand-writing  would  have  announced 
ny  design  of  putting  an  end  to  my  existence ;  my  wife 
■ 1  then  have  appeared  the  vict^i  of  despair;  she 
have  kept  her  bed  the  whole  day,  and  at  night, 
vouid  have  furnished  me  with  sustenance.  Report 


*  Crown  Advoc^fco  Paul  I. 


150 


would  have  been  made  of  this  accident  at  Tobolsk,  and 
f  oni  tlicnce  to  Petersburg,  wliere  it  would  have  been 
thrown  aside,  and  I  should  have  been  forgotten.  Some 
time  after  this  my  wife  was  to  have  appeared  to  recover; 
she  was  then  to  ask  for  a  passport  to  Livonia,  which,  in 
the  common  course  of  things,  would  not  have  been  re- 
fused her.  She  would  then  have  procured  a  large  sledge 
kibick,  in  which  a  man  may  lie  at  full  length,  and  which, 
indeed,  would  have  been  the  only  carriage  in  which 
such  an  enterprise  could  have  been  executed.  1  should 
have  filled  up  the  hollow  part  of  the  vehicle,  and  have 
been  covered  with  pillows  and  baggage.  My  wife  would 
have  occupied  the  seat,  and  have  admitted  air  whenever 
necessary ;  and,  unless  my  strength  had  failed  me  on  the 
road,  I  should  most  certainly  have  arrived,  without  the 
least  obstacle,  before  my  own  door  at  Friedenthal ;  for, 
as  1  have  already  observed,  no  one  is  examined  in  the 
interior  parts  of  Russia,  and  a  man  may  travel  from  Po- 
langen  to  Tschukotshoi-Noss,  without  being  once  asked 
what  he  has  in  his  carriage. 

The  most  difiicult  point  would  have  been  to  give  an 
appearance  of  authenticity  to  the  story  of  my  death,  w];!ich 
would  have  been  so  much  the  more  easily  establislued,  as 
the  inhabitants. of  Kurgan  were  a  simple,  unsuspicious 
people,  utterly  incapable  of  it)llowing  the  thread  of  a 
plan  so  artfully  contrived  and  executed. 

Being  arrived  at  Friedenthal,  I  skould  have  found  it 
easy  enough  to  conceal  myself  for  some  time  from  every 
eye.    I  had,  beskles,  more  than  one  tViend  in  Eitonia 
on  whom  Lcould  depend  as  confidentially  as  I  ct)ul(i  on 
my  wife.    Knorring  or  Piuek  v/ould  have  conveyed  me 
in  the  sr.me  manner  as  far  as  Revel.    The  generousFre- 
deric  de  Ungern-Sternberg  would  have  remo\x^d  me  to 
his  estate  at  Hapsal,  and  i'rom  thence  to  the  Isle  ol'  Da- 
goe,  where  I  should  have  embarked  for  Sweden  in  ^ 
lishing-boat,  wdnclr,  with  a  fair  wln^l,  woald  have  ii,:  ' 
the  passage  in  twelve  hours.    Everything,  1  musi 
peat,  depended  on  my  being  able  to  he  tv  the  fa 
fiuch  a  journey ;  for  in  every  otiier  re>pect,  h-\ 
?iappiness  to  possess  a  ^^^tj^^  singularly  excelK 


151 


'  friends  so  devoted  to  my  service,  the  plan  was  very  prac- 
ticable. 

The  project  or  escape  I  had  formed  in  Livonia,  and 
!of  wliich  I  may  now  speak  without  reserve,  was  similar 
to  this — I  designed  to  have  made  the  Duna  tlie  scene  of 
my  pretended  death,  and  to  have  hidden  myself  in  the 
I  ruins  of  Kokenhiisen.  M.  de  Lowenstern  would  have 
[ordered  a  search  to  be  made  for  me.  E\'ery  inrjuirj 
i having  been  made  to  no  purpose,  a  certificate  of  my  death 
Iwould  have  been  dispatched  to  the  Counsellor;  ]  should 
jhave  been  forgotten  at  Petersburg,  and  the  affair  being 
lover,  some  of  my  friends  might  have  conveyed  me  awajf 
in  the  manner  already  pointed  out. 

My  project  at  Kurgan,  however,  appeared  more  prac- 
licable  than  that  at  the  other  place.  It  would  naturally 
be  supposed,  that  a  body  sunk  under  the  ice,  could  not 
be  found  again ;  whereas  an  unsuccessful  search  in  the 
iDuna,  which  was  not  frozen,  might  have  given  rise  to 
suspicion.  Besides,  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  in  Li- 
vonia for  an  unfortunate  man  to  put  an  end  to  his  sutier-' 
ings. 

The  advice  of  my  friend  Kiniakoff  was,  that  I  should 
join  one  of  the  caravans,  under  a  good  disguise,  on,  its 
return  to  China.  He  himself  w^ould  have  endeavoured 
to  escape  in  that  manner,  had  lie  not  been  apprehensive 
of  embittering  the  fate  of  his  two  brothers.  I  should 
have  found  such  an  enterprise  impracticable :  I  w&s  a 
foreigner,  and  the  success  of  this  scheme  depended  on 
being  a  native  of  Russia,  or,  at  least,  on  knowing  the 
language  well  enough  to  pass  for  a  carrier  of  that  nation. 
I  adhered,  therefore,  to  my  former  plan,  and  I  desired 
my  wife,  in  an  indirect  maimer,  to  bring  every  thing 
with  her  that  could  aid  its  success,  and  at  the  end  of  every 
letter  I  hinted  at  what  I  intended  to  do,  by  these  words: 
"  If  you  come  here,  you  will  be  more  to  me  than  Lodo  , 
iska  was  to  her  Louvet." 

.ij  Even  at  Kurgan  I  met  with  a  man,  who  kindly  and 
[foluntarily  offered  to  transmit  a  letter  to  my  wlih,  sjyi 
hho  has  conveyed  several  to  her  in  a  more  expeditious 
maimer  than  they  would  have  reached  her  the  commoK 


152 


wav.  If  I  do  not  name  this  friend,  tlie  reason  may 
easily  imagined.  Before  God  my  heart  has  named  h 
more  than  a  thousand  times! 

I  pity  those  pjloomy  phiIo<:op!iers,  who  ascribe  to 
man  nature  an  innate  and  original  depravity.  My  m 
fortunes  hax  e  confirmed  me  in  the  opinion,  that  man  m 
put  contklerice  in  man.  How  lew  hard-hearted  and 
sensible  beings  are  to  be  met  with  in  my  narrative !  Ho 
few  that  resemble  the  unfeehng  Counsellor,  or  the  c 
comical  Prostenius !  I  have  always  thought,  and  I  am 
convinced  of  the  fact,  that  if  a  man  be  unfortunate,  he 
■will  every  where  find  friends:  the  arms,  the  hearts  of 
men  will  open  at  his  approach,  in  the  most  dreary  wil- 
derness;, in  the  most  remote  corner  of  the  universe ! 

The  good  inhabitants  of  Kurgan  are  certainly  of  th\^ 
description.  I  was  invited  to  all  their  little  feasts;  eve, 
one  would  tain  divide  his  pittance,  and  share  his  plea- 
sures with  me.  On  my  arrival  among  them  they  did 
not  know  me  as  an  autiior;  but  a  paragraph  which  vvp^ 
inserted  in  the  Moscow  Gazette,  relative  to  the  briilia: 
success  of  my  pieces  on  the  English  stage,  informed  thcia 
of  my  literary  existence,  and  served  to  increase  tliat 
esteem  which  they  had  already  evinced  for  me.  The 
good  nature  with  which  diey  endeavoured  to  divert  me, 
and  the  kind  i4itention  they  had  in  drawing  me  into  their 
little  circles,  have  sometimes  proved  troublesome  to  me; 
for,  on  one  iiand,  my  mind  was  ill  adapted  to  any  inter- 
course with  mankind,  and  on  die  other,  their  company 
l^ad  but  few  cliarms  for  an  European  like  myself^  spoiled 
by  the  habits  of  polished  society. 

The  following  may  serve  as  a  sketch  of  the  state  of 
society  at  this  place.  The  Assessor,  Judas  NikitiscK, 
celebrated  the  festival  of  his  patron  Saint,  which,  it  must 
be  observed,  in  Russia  is  a  more  important  festival  than 
a  birth-day.  He  came  to  me  early  in  the  morning,  and 
invited  m.e  to  his  house,  where,  he  said,  I  should  meet 
all  the  principal  people  of  the  place.  I  went,  and  oL 
my  arrival  was  stunned  by  the  noise  of  five  men>  whcnil 
they  called  singers.  These  men,  turning  their  backs  to 
the  company,  apply  their  right  hands  to  their  mouths  to 


155 


mprovc  the  sound  of"  their  voices,  ar.d  make  as  land  a 
loise  as  ]X)Ssible  iii  one  corner  ot"  the  room.  This  was 
he  salutation  given  to  every  guest  on  his  entering  the 
lOUse.  An  immense  table  groaned  under  the  weight  of 
wenty  dishes,  but  1  could  see  neither  plates  nor  chairs 
!br  the  accommodation  of  the  company.  The  whole  had 
he  appearance  of  a  breakfast,  which  the  Russians  often 
rive  under  the  name  of  a  saciu^chka,  Tiie  principal 
iishes  were  pirogues,  not  made  of  meat,  as  is  usual,  but 
)f  different  kinds  of  fish,  it  being  the  season  of  Lent. 
There  were  besides  several  dishes  of  soused  fish,  and 
>astry  of  many  sorts.  The  master  of  the  house  carried;; 
I  huge  brandy  bottle  in  his  hand,  eager  to  serve  hi* 
juests,  who  frequently  drank  to  his  heallh,  and,  to  my 
:  ;reat  surprise,  without  showing  any  signs  of  intoxication, 
inhere  was  no  wine,  and  indeed  I  had  drank  none  in  Si- 
erii,  except  at  Tobolsk,  at  the  Governor's  table:  it 
a  Russian  wine,  palatable  enough,  which,  if  I  rals- 
i.  e  not,  had  been  procured  from  the  Crimea.  Instead 
i  "wine  our  host  presented  us  with  mead;  another  rarity, 
nd  much  esteemed  here,  as  there  are  no  bees  in  Siberia. 
".  cry  guest,  except  myself,  however,  preferred  brandy 
)  lins  mead. 

1  expected  every  moment  tliat  another  door  would  be 
"vvn  open,  and  that  the  company  would  sit  down  to 
j;  but  I  expected  in  vain.    The  guests  took  their 
al>  one  after  the  other,  and  went  away;  and  1  felt  it 
cce-^sary  to  follow  theh"  example. 

"  Is  the  entertainment  over?"  said  I  to  M.  de  Gravi, 
.  ho  stood  near  me. 

No,"*^  replied  he;  *•  the  company  are  going  home 
'  f;ike  their  naps,  and  at  five  o'clock  they  will  be  here 

returned  at  the  appointed  hour.    The  scene  was 
.  changed ;  the  great  table  still  occupied  the  centre 
:  :  le  room,  but  in  the  place  of  pirogues,  hsh  and  brandy, 
I  ,v\  as  covered  with  cakes,  raisins,  almonds,  and  a  quan- 
1 1/\  f  i' Chinese  sweetmeats,  several  of  w^hich  were  erf an 
re  ..  ;  .  navcur,  and  among  which  I  r'j.niarked  a  or*/ 
'    pies  ciit  iuto  slices. 


154 


The  mistress  of"  the  house,  a  young  and  charming^ 
Tnan,  now  made  her  appearance,  and  with  her  the  la 
and  daughters  of  the  guesLs,  in  their  old-fashioned  dres 
Tea  and  French  brandy  were  handed  to  the  compa 
with  punch,  into  which  the  glukiva  berry  (mccini 
okycoccos )  was  squeezed  instead  of  lemons.    Card  ta 
were  then  set,  and  the  guests  played  at  Boston  '^'  as  lo 
as  the  brandy  allowed  them  to  distinguish  the  colon 
the  cards.    At  supper-time  every  person  retired  as  t 
had  done  at  noon,  and  the  entertainment  closed. 

It  will  be  easily  imagined,  that  it  required  no  sm 
effort  on  mj'  part  to  partake  of  such  recreations.  Happjr 
was  I  when  I  could  return  to  my  own  chamber  to  breathe 
in  freedom,  or  take  my  gun  on  my  shoulder,  and  walk 
out  with  my  worthy  Sokoloff. 

Thus  my  days  passed  on  at  Kurgan,  my  health  con- 
tinued invariably  good,  which  had  not  been  the  case  for 
many  years  before,  and  this  contributed  in  a  considerable 
degree  to  the  serenity  of  my  mind.  I  indulged  the 
fondest  hopes:  the  idea  of  my  family  assembled  round 
me,  v/as  always  present  to  my  mind,  and  thus  re-united, 
I  was  convinced  we  could  not  be  unhappy  even  at  Kur- 
gan. Such  was  my  firm  persuasion,  and  I  knew  my 
wife  would  think  the  same. 

Nor  was  this  my  sole  and  last  hope.  I  had  presented 
a  Memorial  to  the  Emperor ;  to  an  Emperor  who  would 
not  blush  to  make  reparation  for  the  impetuosity  of  the 
moment,  into  which  he  had  been  surprised  by  calumny 
or  suspicion  ;  to  an  Emperor  who,  being  himself  a  father, 
would  allow  the  voice  of  nature  to  reach  his  heart  through 
all  the  obstacles  that  his  court-advocate  Obuljaninow 
could  throw  between  him  and  me.  With  what  sincerity 
did  I  wish  my  Counsellor  a  good  journey  !  How  manv 
times  liave  I  calculated  the  weeks,  the  days,  that  would 
be  necessary  for  his  arrival  at  Petersburg!  The  days^ 
the  weeks  after  that  which  must  elapse  before  the  ^ 
cision  of  my  fate  could  reach  me,  wliether  on  the  ba^| 
of  t!ie  Neva  or  tiiose  of  the  Tobol !  Towards  the  endM 

•  A  Russian  gan-.e.  ^1 


155 

AugAist,  if  every  thing  agreed  with  my  calcul^ons,  I 
expected  to  receive  my  final  sentence.  Tliank  neaven  ! 
jt  had  in  this  instance  erroneously  calculated — • 

Tlie  hand  that  leads  us  thro'  life's  dreary  road, 
Aids  the  lorn  wretch  to  bear  his  galling  load: 
And  tho'  fond  ho])e,  bereft  of  all  i^s  pow'r, 
Has  scarce  a  gleam  to  cheer  the  darken'd  hour. 
Still  may  one  thought  the  erring  mind  employ, 
That  one  short  mom.ent  brings  unlook'd-fcr  joy  ! 

I  It  was  now  the  7  th  of  July  :  the  morning  was  fine,  and 
i[  was  eiigaged  in  my  usual  manner  in  drawing  up  the 
itory  ol"  my  misfortunes,  when,  at  about  ten  o'clock,  M. 
Je  Gravi  came  in,  and,  after  a  fev/  words  of  ordinary 
zhat,  took  up  a  pack  of  cards,  as  he  most  commonly  did, 
to  play  at  the  g^anie  of  grande  patience,  which  he  often 
carried  so  ikr  as  to  put  my  patience  to  a  severe  trial.  I 
was  sometimes  whole  hours  a  witness  to  his  pastime,  for 
he  good  man  could  not  conceive  it  possible  that  any  oner's 
.ime  at  Kurgan  was  valuable,  and  particularly  an  exile's. 
He  continued  to  play  till  eleven  o'clock :  during  this  time 
[  walked  up  and  down  the  room  in  ill-humoured  silence, 
A'ithout  taking  any  notice  of  the  game,  except  once, 
A- hen  he  asked  me  with  what  view  he  should  turnup 
:he  cards.  "  Consult  the  oracle,"*^  said  I,  peevishly, 
'  whether  I  am  to  see  my  family  shortly.^'  Tlje  deal 
Droved  fortiAate,  and  he  v.  as  highly  delighted  that  they 
kvere  soon  to  be  with  me. 

At  length  he  recollected  he  had  business  to  dispatch, 
ind  took  his  leave. 

I  continued  my  task.  In  the  middle  of  a  period  my 
>ervant  interrupted  me  by  saying — "  Well,  Sir,  we  have 
;bme  more  news." 

I  paid  little  attention  to  him,  concluding  he  was  going 
o  entertain  me  with  some  new  love  aflair ;  (for  he  had 
lad  twenty,  and  some  of  no  common  sort,  since  we  had 
•«sided  iiere)  and  without  taking  my  pen  from  tlie  paper, 
/  turned  myself  half  round  to  ask  him  what  the  news 
vas.  . 

**  This  \  ery  moment  a  dragoon  is  arrived  to  take  vou 
.way/'  said  he.    Stiuck  wi'li  terror,  touted  from  my 


156 


c/iair,  and  looked  him  full  in  the  face  without  being 
to  uttc^a  sinjjle  word. 


Yes,  yes/*  continued  he,  *'  we  shall  perhaps  set 
this  vety  day  for  Tobolsk." 

*'  How      was  all  I  was  able  io  say.  ■ 
Insteaci  of  answerin;^  me,  he  brought  a  man  to  me 
liad  seen  the  dragoon,  'had  heard  him  speak  of  his  c 
mission,  liad  accompanied  him  to  M.  de  Gravi's 
irom  thence  had  ran  to  my  lodging  to  be  the  first  be 
of  the  new  s,  but  who  was  totally  ignorant  of  the  dispatc 
that  were  brought. 

What  h^d  I  to  expect  ?  My  liberty  ?  Afas,  nc 
in  such  case,  why  was  I  to  be  taken  :back  to  Tobolsk 
The  nearest  road  lay  through  Ekatarinabourg,  and  why 
make  a  circuitous  journey  of  five  liundred  verstes  ?  Be- 
sides, the  answer  to  my  Memorial  could  not  arrive  fors 
considerable  time  to  come.  I  had  therefore  nothing  bet 
ter  before  me  than  the  horrid  prospect  of  being  transport- 
ed from  Tobolsk  further  up  the  country,  perhaps  tc 
Kamtschadva.  I  remained  a  considerable  time  in  great 
perturbation  of  mind,  till,  rousing  myself  from  a  painfui 
train  of  thought,  I  took  the  quire  of  paper  on  which  ] 
had  been  writing,  together  with  all  tlie  bank  notes  I  hac 
left,  and  concealed  the  whole  under  my  waisicoat.  ] 
■waited  for  more  than  ten  minutes  in  the  most  painfu 
state  of  suspense,  for  the  arrival  of  my  sentence.  Thes( 
ten  minutes  are  to  be  numbered  among  tlif^most  dread- 
ful of  my  life.  At  last  I  ])erceived  from  my  window  M 
tie  Gravi,  accompanied  by  a  crowd  of  people,  turning 
the  corner  of  tlie  street,  and  in  the  midst  of  them  I  di* 
cerned  a  dragoon,  with  a  plume  that  covered  his  hat 
They  were  too  far  off  for  me  to  observe  the  expressior 
of  their  countenances ;  and  I  remained  more  dead  thai 
alive,  waiting  to  know  my  fate. 

I  walked  with  trembling  steps  about  the  room,  an( 
again  drawing  near  the  window,  I  could  distinguish  th* 
features  of  M.  de  Gravi,  which  seemed  to  be  very  coite 
posed.  A  ray  of  hope  now  gleamed  upon  me,  yj 
hea.yiness  still  pressed  upon  my  heart. 

TliO  people  were  now  in  the  yard;  M.  de  Gfav 
!0<;ked  up  attfci  window,  perceived  ir.c  tliere»  and  ss 


157 

lilted  me  in  a  gaj  and  frienclly  manner.  I  fuU  my  ■iicart 
grow  lighter;  1  attempted  to  go  out  to  meet  him,  hut 
jwas  unable:  I  remained  quite  motionless,  and  fixed  my 
leyes  upon  the  door  of  the  chamber:  it  opened;  I  en- 
deavoured to  speak,  but  continued  speechless. 

Prosddiviaja,  ziui  szuobochii — "  I  congratulate  you,  you 
are  free  \" — As  he  uttered  these  words,  the  good  De 
jGravi  threw  himself  into  my  arms,  and  shed  tears  of 
j}oy.  I  saw  nothing,  lieard  nothing;  felt  only  the  tears 
jof  De  Gravi,  which  wet  my  cheek,  wiiile  my  own  eyes 
(remained  dry.  Tlie  cry  oi  prosclazclaja  was  repeated  by 
lall  around  me;  every  one  strove  to  be  first  to  embrace 
I  me,  and  my  servant  too  pressed  me  to  his  heart.  I  per- 
mitted all  these  proceedings,  still  looking  at  them  with 
silent  stupor :  I  could  neither  thank  them,  nor  utler  a 
word. 

The  dragoon  then  delivered  me  a  letter  from  the  Go- 
vernor. I .  had  strength  enough  to  open  it,  and  I  read 
the  following  lines,  which  were  written  in  French  : 

Sir, 

"  Rejoice,  but  moderate  your  transports ;  the  state 
of  your  health  recjuires  it.  My  prediction  is  accomplish- 
ed. I  have  the  satisfaction  to  inform  you,  that  our  gra- 
cious Emperor  desires  your  return.  Command  every 
thing  of  which  you  may  be  in  want,  and  it  shall  be  pro- 
cured you.  '  Orders  are  already  given  for  your  accom- 
modation. Hasten  and  receive  the  congratulations  of 
"  Your  very  humble  Servant, 

De  Kuscheleff." 

Julj/  ilh. 

Every  word  of  the  letter  sunk  deep  into  my  heart.' — - 
Tlje  Governor  sent  me  at  the  same  time  a  bundle  of 
newspapers,  and  a  short  congratulatory  note  from  M. 
'  ^;or,  who  by  chance  had  been  present  when  tlie  dra- 
,„  1  was  sent  off,  and  who  offered  me  bis  house,  in 
jfrtie  most  pr^png  manner,  on  my  return  to  Tobolsk. 

de  Gravi  read  to  me  the  order  which  he  had  re- 
od.    The  substance  of  it  was,  that  I  sliould  be  fur- 
O' 


158 


ili^hc(l  wiUi  wiialevcr  1  might  wanl,  even  with  mor 
I'ln  '  that  1  should  be  sent  off"  immediately.  * 

I  had  not  yet  rccox  ercd  my  speech,  but  a  flood 
tears  relie\'ed  me.    [  wept,  and  ihc  greater  part  oF 
spectators  wept  with  me.  * 

Saddcp.ly  Sokolofl'  came  in  and  fell  upon  my  ne< 
pressed  me  in  his  arms,  and  shed  many  bitter  tears, 
am  again,"  said  he,  much  alTectcd,  "  alone  and  forsak< 
buL  what  docs  it  signify?  God  knows,  I  rejoice  sincere 
in  'N  our  deliverance?'' 

-  All  the  principal  people  oF  the  town  crowded  al 
me;  the  room  could  scarcely  hold  them.  Every  one 
Avas  eager  to  testify  his  joy,  and  to  compliment  me  on 
this  occasion.  The  worthy  De  Gravi,  who  naturally 
imagined  such  a  crowd  would  at  the  present  moment 
prove  troublesome  to  me,  dispersed  them  by  degrees, 
and  proposed  my  going  to  dine  at  his  house.  I  could 
neither  eat  nor  drink.  '*  When  do  you  think  of  setting 
<>fr:"  said  he.  "  In  two  hours/'  I  replied.  "  What 
iliali  you  want?" — Horses." — He  smiled  and  left  me. 

1  was  now  alone — I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  the 
state  of  my  mind.  For  several  hours  I  could  neither 
stand  nor  sit  still.  I  walked  backwards  and  forwards 
.without  intermission,  and  measured  the  room  in  every 
direction.  I  had  scarcely  any  ideas;  1  had  merely  sen- 
sations, confused  images  which  rapidly  succeeded  each 
other,  without  leaving  any  distinct  traces  on  my  mind. 
I  still  saw  my  wife  and  my  children  fluttering  before  my 
eyes  as  in  a  mist.  I  felt  my  head  grow  giddy,  and  my 
whole  frame  was  strangely  aflected ;  I  endeavoured  to 
think  in  a  coimected  manner,  to  reflect,  to  read  the 
newspapers,  which  was  a  favourite  occupation  with  me; 
bill:  all  was  in  vain,  my  tears  from  time  to  time  gushed 
out.atresh,  and  all  I  was  able  to  say  was  confined  to  this 
single  exclamation,  O  God!  O  God! 

As  soon  as  my  mind  became  more  tranquil,  I  fou"'' 
that  my  cup  of  joy  was  not  without  a  mi^^ire  of  reg 
The  stranger  to  whom,  in  the  first  transpBjp  of  delig:i.>^ 
I  had  made  a  present  \  ery  inconsistent  w^ith  ray  mcvans, 
i'  ^  rriX'd  Fxie  among  oUier  things,  that  a  senate  cou;  ' 


V 


159 


'  '.ad  arrived  from  Petersburg,  to  conduct  me  tlnther:  but 
hat,  havnig  orders  only  to  go  to  Tobolsk,  he  had  refused 
.0  stir  beyond  that  place;  on  account  of  which,  it  had 
not  been  in  the  Governor's  power  to  spare  me  this  cir- 
cuitous route.    This  point,  nideed,  was  sufficiently  clear- 
ed up,  but  the  dragoon  could  not  solve  a  second  question 
:)t'  much  more  importance  to  me,  which  was.  Whether 
I  the  courier  had  brought  any  letters  from  my  family,  of 
lat  least  any  account  of  them  ?  Of  this  the  dragoon  was 
Iqirite  ignorant ;  and  it  seemed  but  too  probable,  in  my 
imind,  that  the  courier  had  no  such  letters  or  accounts  to 
[  bring  me,  since  the  well-known  humanity  of  the  Governor 

I j  would  certainly  have  induced  him  to  mention  the  circum- 
j  stance  in  his  letter.  He  well  knew  bow  much  I  was 
jattached  to  my  wife ;  he  had  witnessed  the  tears  I  had 
[shed  for  her,  and  in  sympathy  often  mingled  his  own 
[with  mine.  As,  therefore,  he  mentioned  not  a  word  of 
her  in  his  note,  I  dreaded  that  he  had  something  very 
shocking  to  conceal  from  me. 

Thus  ingenious  was  1  in  tormenting  myself ;  butliap- 
pily  the  preparations  for  the  journey  in  some  degree  di- 
verted my  attention.    I  was  as  impatient  as  a  child:  all 
my  things  were  crammed  in  haste  into  my  portm.anteaii, 
and  thrown  into  a  kibick.    I  hastilv  acquitted  myself  of 
lay  last  duty  at  Kurgan,  and  took  leave  oi'  all  my  good 
iriends.    It  wijl  be  supposed  I  did  not  stay  many  riiinute'^ 
in  one  house.    I  remained  longer  with  my  excellent 
friend  De  Gravi,  and  lie  exacted  a  sacrifice  from  me  o:\ 
I  leaving  him,  which  gave  me  no  small  pain,  but  which  I 
,  could  not  refuse,  as  he  solicited  me  in  the  most  pressing 
'4nanner, 

The  7  th  of  July  was  a  solemn  festival,  the  true  mean- 
ing of  which  I  was  never  able  to  discover.    It  chiefly 
cqpsisted  in  transporting  the  image  of  the  Saint  of  a 
neighbouring  village  into  the  town.    The  Saint  of  the 
vn  w^as  carried  in  procession  to  meet  it,  received  it 
i  politeii^^^nd  bore  it  company  to  its  own  temple; 
oured  iMBr^ceKain  prayers  anS  hymns,  and  acconi-- 
i.ed  it  b3?^  in  tlse  evening.    Aif  tise  inhabiianl^.s  of 
place  escorted  their  Saint. on  this  htdc  excur-^'  i, 


160 


singing  psalms  as  they  mardied  along.  The  worthy^Dj 
Gravi  thonoht  it  his  duty  to  be  at  the  head  of  this  prdB 
cc'-sion,  and  it  was  at  this  ceremony  thatl  was  compell^ 
to  be  present.  He  assured  me  it  woul^  not  last  halt"  afl 
hour,  and  I  accompanied  him.  m 

Borne  by  six  prettj'  country  girls,  and  attended  by  ■ 
priest  with  a  long  beard,  the  Saint  of  the  village  met  n 
m  the  skirts  of  the  town.  Every  one  sung  and  made  tha 
sign  of  the  cro,ss.  The  images  of  the  two  Saints  politeM 
exchanged  salutations.  We  returned  with  them  to  tfB 
town;  the  stranger  Saint  went  to  the  house  of  its  hosiJI 
and  I  flew  to  mine  to  make  my  last  preparations. 

I  found  my  good  friend  Sokoloff  there,  whose  heart 
was  much  oppressed  on  account  of  our  separation.  The 
night  bfrfbre  we  had  both  observed,  that  the  liberty  of 
the  one  would  render  the  captivity  of  the  other  doubly 
painful.  The  following  day  the  circumstance  was  to 
take  place  !  I  made  him.  a  present  of  my  gun,  my  shoot- 
ing apparatus,  all  my  powder  and  shot,  and  every  thing 
else  that  I  could  spare.  He  accepted  them  without 
saying  a  word,  and  I  could  read  in  his  moistened  eye, 
that  he  had  much  rather  have  had  my  company  than  my 
presents.  1  pressed  him  to  write  to  his  family,  and 
promised  to  transmit  his  letters  s^fe  into  their  hands, — 
His  conscience,  however,  which  was  scrupulous  to  ex- 
cess, would  not-  permit  him  to  embrace  my  of^'er.  He 
was  dcLerrained  in  no  respect  to  disobey  the  severe  or- 
ders he  had  received,  and  deemed  it  meritorious  rather 
t )  suffer  every  thing  than  incur  the  imputation  of  a  single 

Th.   '      li-at  tllfc  excellent  man  would  have  been  f 
less  uiiluippy  at  Kurgan,  had  he  never  found  a  feKov 
suflR-rcr  in  me,  enibittered  the  moment  of  joy  which 
Iiad  exp  rrlcnced  on  regaining  my  liberty In  fact,  T  fw 
been  thelcause  of  his  hnving  resumed  his  former  hab 
of  socieW  and  friendship,  and  having  ar^in  ta-^te;' 
n^'  the  enjoyments  of  lite.    He  could  ^Uij^  por. 
iiis  coir.piaints  to  me;  my  car  and  *i^y^B  "'''-/'^ 
•     »i  t  )  iviii,  and  mv  sudden  departure  plttftfed  l.im  ')#>cc 
his  ibrm^r  solitude  !  It  hid  been  rny  intent"  • 


161 


liavc  taken  him  out  of  his  inclancholy  chvelling,  an  t 
'have  lodged  hirn  with  me  durin!^  the  winter,  had  not  my 
jdeparliire  condemned  him  again  to  his  garret.  I  eni- 
I braced  him  and  shed  many  tears;  he  wept  also  and  \cii 
the  room.  I  did  not  see  him  any  more,  for  when  the 
! greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  were  asFcm- 
,  l)]ed  in  tlie  yard  at  the  moment  of  my  departure,  Simon 
■Sokolofl'  was  not  of  tlie  number. 

L  I  was  obJiged  to  wait  an  liour  for  the  horse>.  Never 
in  my  life  did  I  feel  myself  so  much  upon  thorns.  I  was 
liardfv  capable  of  acknowledging  the  marks  of  kindness 
which  the  Kurganians  lavished  npon  me.  One  had 
made  me  some  punch ;  another  loaded  my  kibick  with 
provisions;  a  third  presented  me  with  a  pot  of  cucum- 
bers.* I  must  have  walked  on  foot  by  the  sid£  of  my 
carriage,  had  i  accepted  all  their  presents.  May  the 
benediction  of  Heaven  fall  on  these  good  pe^ople!  I  sliall 
see  them  no  more,  but  1  bear  in  my  heart  a  tender  and 
grateful  remembrance  of  their  hospitality. 

The  horses  at  length  arrived.  I  was  embraced  by 
tlie  whole  circle,  and  put  into  the  kibick.  Good  old  Do 
Gravi  got  in  with  me,  determined,  as  he  said,  to  accom- 
pany me  out  of  the  gates.  Benedictions  and  prayers 
were  showered  upon  me  at  parting,  and  I  was  lest  in  a 
transport  of  delight.  After  proceeding  about  two  versle^ 
on  my  journey,  De  Gravi  stopped  tlie  postilion,  fell 
upon  my  neck,  embraced  me  and  wept;  pressed  my 
hand,  and  alighted  from  tlie  carriage ;  left  m.c,  returned 
again,  shook  me  once  more  by  the  hand,  sobbed,  bid 
me  farewell,  a^d  de])arted.  I  raised  mvself  in  the  kibick, 
kept  mv  eyes  a  long  while  upon  him,^and  contemplat<.'d 
with  emotion  the  spot  of  my  exile;  and  then,  having 
c.t>t  behind  me  the  painful  dream  of  my  misfortunes.  Ibid 
tlie  driver  make  tlie  best  of  his  way. 

I  was  not  obliged  to  go  so  far  round  as  Tiumen;  the 
w&ter  had  in  a  great  degree  subsided ;  and  being  pro- 

At  Kurp^an  cucumbers  are  considered  as  a  great  dellcacr  ; 
■  are  cultivate4  as  melons  are  in  Germany,  and  are  served 
jiiests  as  part  of  the  dessert,  ^ut  into  small  slices. 

O  a 


162 


-vidcd  with  a  gau;^e  fence  to  keep  ofT  tlie  gnats,  I 
enabled  to  go  on  during  the  whole  night,  which,  vvi 
out  such  precaution,  had  been  impracticable  at  this  ^ 
•son  of  the  year.    The  gnats  of  this,  country  resen  • 
<hose  of  Europe,  except  that  they  are  of  a  yellow  cok 
■and  are  still  more  venomous. 

Towards  c\'ening  I  fell  asleep,  and,  after  an  easy  slun 
her,  I  awoke  to  new  enjoyment.  I  was  a  full  min. 
before  I  could  well  recollect  what  had  so  lately  happenc 
tome;  but  this  minute,  during  which  the  idea  of  n- 
liberty  gradually  unfolded  itself  in  my  mind,  was  a  cc 
lestial  one. 

Li  the  afternoon  we  passed  through  a  little  town  calk 
3aluterski.  It  contained  a  great  number  of  exiles,  amoi. 
whom  \yas  Prince  Simbirski,  formerly  Commander  ; 
Chief  of  the  Russian  army,  who  had  been  sentenced  ' 
banishment  on  account  of  mal-practices  in  the  delive; 
of  a  clofh-contractj  of  which  he  in  fact  had  not  been  hir.: 
self  guilty,  though  charged  with  conniving  at  the  gu;: 
of  others.  It  is  scarcely  to  be  imagined  that  he  deserve^ 
so  heavy  a  punishment,  and  still  less  easy  to  believe  thr 
it  could  have  been  inflicted  in  so  cruel  a  manner.  H( 
was  loaded  with  irons,  and  dragged  into  exile  with 
^'uide  three  times  as  cruel  as  mine,  and  obliged,  in  spit 
i  f  the  bad  state  of  his  health,  and  the  incumbrance  of  hi 
i^tlers,  to  give  up,  ahiiost  continually,  his  place  in  th 
kibick  to  hi  >  guide,  and  to  walk.  There  was  no  sort  c 
ill-treatment,  no  kind  of  humiliating  outrage,  but  wha 
>he  had  experienced  at  the  hands  of  his  executioner.* 

A  sceiiC  of  happiness,  nevertheless,  awaited  him  Oi 
iae  inhospitable  banks  of  the  Tobol,  which  I  have  oftei 
«jnvied  him,  and  which  must  have  considerably  alleviate< 
bis  misfortunes.  On  his  way- from  Tobolsk  toward  JaJu 
terski,  the  place  or  his  destination,  having  been  obliged 
as  I  h^d  been,  to  measure  back  the  high-road  for  sora 
liundred  verstes,  he  saw,  at  the  v-ery  moment  in  which 

*  He  \vas  afterwards  found  to  be  innocent  of  the  charges  e^t 
'sited  i' gainst  him,  and  he  has  i^een  since  re.i^nstated  in  ail  hii 
honours  and  dignities.  .;^y 


163 


hv  was  leaving  the  Tobol  and  striking  up  the  country ; 
)u.  saw,  I  say,  a  raft  on  the  other  side  oFthe  river  begin 
to  Tfiove,  with  several  persons  and  their  baggage  on  board. 
.L>.  t  the  reader  judge  of  his  joy,  when  he  recognized  h\ 
decrees  his  wife  and  his  children!  He  uttered  a  loud 
iek,  and  it  was  echoed  from  the  r>aft ;  it  was  the  dear 
1  well-known  voice  of  his  family.    Their  arms  were 
e  nded  towards  him  :  he  rushed  into  the  water,  met 
raft,  and  sprung  into  it.    Heavens !  What  a  mo- 
nt !  Some'peasants,  who  were  spectators  of  this  scene, 
:ited  it  to  me.    They  had  telt  as  they  ought  on  this 
occasion,  and  thcv  yet  speak  of  it  with  emotion. 

When  I  passed  through  the  town.  Prince  Simberski 
ill ;  he  was  surrounded,  however,  by  his  family,  and 
*\  .s  the  object  of  their  most  tender  solicitude. 

f  never  saw  finer  pastures  than  in  this  country.  Any 
^  has  liberty  to  mow  them,  and  yet  the  greater  part 
,:ains  unmowed,  in  consequence  of  the  thin  popuJa- 
i,  n,  and  scarcity, of  cattle. 

I  must  not  pass  over  in  silence  a  phenomenon  wlrlch 
let  with  in  a  village  near  Jaluterski.    It  was  a  male 
't,  about  eighteen  years  old,   who  walked  on  all 
^  :  he  might  be  cited  in  behalf  of  the  hypothesis,  tl-at 
li  originally  walked  in  that  manner.    He  not  only 
itcd  very  fast  whenever  he  chose,  but  at  the  same 
le  held  his  head  in  a  vertical  position  as  other  men  do. 
ie  muscles  of  his  neck  uiust  certainly  have  given  \Tayi 
i  become  accustomed  to  this  direction.    He  seldom 
od  erect,  and  never  walked  in  that  attitude,  but  often 
latled  upon  his  legs  in  the  manner  of  a  bear. 
Between  Jaluterski  and  Tobolsk,  wc  drove  through 
ral  villages  inhabited  by  Tartars.    This  nation  does 
appear  to  me  to  merit  the  contempt  with  which  the 
ians,  their  conquerors,  choose  to  treat  them.  An 
:;lcnt  which  befel  me  in  one  of  these  villages^  gave 
an  opportunity  of  learning  some  particulars. 
Mie  evening,  near  sun-set,  the  axle-tree  of  my  carri- 
l^roke  down,  when  two  or  three  Tartars  immedi- 
V  fan  to  my  assistance.    One  of  them  w'as  a  sort  of 
■ntcr.    I  stopped  before  hi«/door,  and  learm'ng  that 


•l)ie  repairi;  would  take  up  three  nours,  I  desired  iwy  sea 
vant  to  m-Ac  come  ten.  The  inside  of  the  Tartar  houjJ 
being  rc:y  dirty,  I  preferred  passing  the  evening,  vvhij 
wiis  exceedingly  fine,  before  the  door ;  and  having  pal 
cured  a  table  and  a  chair,  I  began  to  open  my  travelli  J 
trunk  to  take  out  what  was  necessary  to  make  my  tea.-l 
Curiosity  had  drawn  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  villagB 
about  me,  who  seemed  to  be  totally  ignorant  of  the  ul 
of  utensils  of  luxury.  An  old  silk  bed-gown,  that  nm 
wife  had  often  wished  me  to  throw  aside,  attracted  thw 
attention  and  admiration  to  such  a  degree,  that  ever}  oifl 
of  them  wa^  desirous  to  hrmdle  it.  M 

But  vvhat  delighted  them  to  extacy.was  the  lookingi 
glass  that  lined  the  lid  of  my  travelling  box.  Thev  sat 
cowering  in  groups  beforf^  it,  hiughed  aloud  at  the  sight 
of  their  own  faces,  ami  explaiiied  to  one  another,  by  droll 
gesticulations,  their  astonishment  at  seeing  before  them 
the  country  that  lay  behind  them.  I  took  the  glass  from 
the  lid,  and  presented  it  to  the  carpenter's  wife,  who  at 
fu  st  cast  a  look  by  stealth  upon  it,  then  by  degrees  grevv 
more  familiar  with  it,  and  at  last  admired  herself  with  no 
small  ■vafisfaction,  for  she  was  very  pretty.  It  appeared 
to  ine  that  the  female  Tartar  peasants  were  not  so  scru- 
pulous as  the  women  of  Casan  in  hiding  their  faces;  at 
least  all  I  saw  here  were  without  veils. 

Tea  being  ready,  I  lighted  my  pipe,  and  sat  myself 
down  upon  a  pile  of  timber  which  stood  just  opposite  my 
carpenter's  house.  It  was  a  picturesque  nocturnal  scene. 
A  score  of  Tartars  v/erc  seated  about  me,  upon  the  rude 
steps  formed  by  the  beams  of  timber;  at  my  feet  a  little 
fire  was  kindled,  at  which  the  carpenter  was  working; 
and  across  the  way,  close  to  the  house,  stood  several  wo- 
men, girls,  and  children,  who  were  too  bashful  to  approach 
nearer. 

By  degrees  a  very  singular  conversation  took  place  b-:  - 
tvveen  me  and  the  surrounding  group.  The  moment  tin  ■ 

*  Lest  the  Printer  shoukl  be  innocGntly  accused  of  o.  " 
der,  the  Travislator  begs  to  inform  his  co.uriirymen,  rh 
Germans  frequently  take  a  pipe  wiih  their  tea  and  cofiec 


165 

fiad  discovered  I  wa?  not  a  Russian,  they  took  couragf  j 
'  gained  their  confidence ;  they  overwhehned  me  with 
nquiries:  Who  was  I?  Where  was  I  going?  Whateoun- 
iryman  was  I  ?  How  did  people  hve  in  ray  country  ? 
Irhe  crowd  and  myself  were  ahke  ill  versed  in  the  Rus- 
ian  tongue,  and  we  had  infinite  trouble  to  understand 
;ach  other.    Having  told  them  I  was  a  Saxon,  they  con- 
i'crsed  for  some  time  in  the  Tartar  language  together, 
|ind  then  asked  me  if  Saxony  was  not  situated  upon  the 
paspian  Sea.    I  knew  not  how  to  give  them  an  idea  of 
jhe  geographical  position  of  that  country.    They  were 
Ignorant  of  all  Germany,  except  Prussia,  and  of  that 
^[hey  had  but  very  confused  ideas.    They  had  never 
llieard  of  the  name  of  France,  of  its  revolution,  nor  its 
vars.    Happy  people ! 

A  young  woman,  whom  the  looking-glass  had  attract- 
;d  so  much,  having  in  the  mean  while  drawn  nearer  to 
is  to  profit  by  the  conversation,  I  took  an  opportunity 
if  asking  her  if{)olygamv  was  common  among  them; 
nd  it  appeared,  that  in  all  the  village  there  were  but 
wo  men  who  had  more  than  one  wife,  and  my  carpen- 
er  was  one  of  '.hese.  I  was  asked  if  I  did  nov  think  it 
'ery  agreeable  to  have  several  helpmates  and  several 
ompanions.  Each  by-stander  strove  to  prove  the  aJvan- 
ages  of  polygamy.  '*When  a  man's  wife  grows  old," 
aid  one  of  them,  "  she  is  associated  with  a  younger 
voman.'*  When  the  old  one  is  sad,'"  added  another, 
'  the  young  one  may  smile  and  be  merry 

"  Very  well,'^  snid  I,  "  but  does  this  arrangement 
>lease  your  females?"    On  saying  this,  T  ca^t  my  eyes 
pon  my  pretty  hostess.    The  by-standers  explained  what 
i  said,  as  she  scarcely  understood  a  word  of  Russian, 
"  nd  when  she  had  comprehended  the  question,  she  shook 
'  !"ad,  as  if  she  would  say,  "  you  are  right  to  doubt 
After  this  she  turned  her  eyes  in  a  timid  manner 
i  ds  the  door  of  her  o\Vn  house,  where  a  w^oman  of 
forty,  and  of  a  crabbed  look,  probably  her  com- 
1,  was  sitting.    IV'y  eyes  followed  her's,  and  I 
.  .'nvinced  that  I  had  (liscovcred  a  family  sCv'  -'";:. 
j  J)\ved  ihcvidently  gained  IIk;  good  v*/ ill  oF  ^hi--.  y-n:ng 
''  c  y-.yl  I  had  taken  in  favour  of  h.er  sex. 


166 


for^lie  soon  after  brought  a  pot  filled  vvitli  eggs^  thH^| 
I  had  not  asked  tor  any  thing  of  tiie  kind,  which  havii 
placed  upon  the  fire  that  was  burning  before  me,  si 
squatted  down  in  such  a  manner  that  the  flames  re 
dened  her  countenance  in  a  high  degree:  having  boil 
the  eggs,  she  presented  them  to  me  upon  a  wood 
dish. 

I  had  never  before  had  an  opportunity  of  being  co 
vinced  of  the  inveterate  hatred  which  the  Tartars  be 
the  Russians.  My  dragoon  had  fallen  asleep;  my  s( 
"vant  and  myself  were  strangers,  and  they  could  ventu 
to  explain  themselves  with  freedom,  which  they  so( 
began  to  do  without  the  least  reserve.  ; 

As  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  observe  the  Tartar  n 
tion,  I  have  found  them  frank,  ambitious,  quick  in  pc 
ception,  of  strong  feelings,  and  much  addicted  to  r 
venge.    The  men  are  in  gj^neral  tall,  stout  and  hard 
With  such  faculties  and  dispositions,  it  is  impossible  tli 
the  conduct  of  the  Russians  to  wards  them  should  produ 
any  other  effects  than  hatred.    The  Tartars  are  con 
dered  as  the  reprobate  descendants  of  certain  Finlandi 
colonies.  -  The  name  of  Tartar  in  this  part  of  the  wor 
is  an  expression  as  injurious  as  that  of  Tsw.-hon,'^  which 
is  bestow^ed  on  the  wretched  inhabitants  of  the  north,  oi 
the  Baltic.    They  arc  used  in  the  most  cruel  and  ig- 
nominious manner.    When  any  accident  happens  to  z 
Russian  on  the  road,  he  claims,  as  the  bounden  duty  o! 
a  slave,  the  /ssistance  of  the  first  Tartar  he  meets,  with- 
out condescending  either  to  pay  or  thank  him  for  his  ser- 
vice.   They  even  ridicule  his  prophet  during  the  ver\ 
time  the  man  is  at  work  for  them,  and  while  they  them- 
selves remain  idle  lookers-on.    I  have  been  present  at? 
scene  of  this  kind,  in  which  Alexander  Schulkins  behav- 
ed with  great  indecency,  and  I  could  observe,  that  whei 
he  began  to  speak  profanely  of  the  prophet,  t4ie  Tar 
tar  grew  pale  with  anger,  and  was  scarcely  able  to  re 


strain  his  UHlignation. 


'  The  true  name  of  the  Finlandsrs,  but  '.vlvL 
-ated  into  a  term  of  reproach. 


167 


I  afforded  this  injured  people  some  consolation,  by  in- 
I  forming  them,  that  several  of  their  niirzas  were  treated 
IWith  great  re.^pcct  at  Petersburg.  I  named  Derschawin  in 
[  particular,  a  man  equally  celebrated  as  a  poet  and  a  states- 
t^MH  ;  advising  them  at  the  same  time  to  make  applica- 
to  him  wliencver  they  stood  in  need  ot"  redress, 
ii  my  conversation  seemed  to  afford  them  much  de- 
!ight,  their  frank  and  unreserved  behaviour  gave  me  no 
'  <  pleasure,  except  that  they  pressed  too  closely  about 

• 

lS  soon  as  the  carriage  was  repaired,  I  prepared  to 
art.  The  carpenter  received  a  tritle  for  his  labour, 
refused  to  take  any  thing  for  his  hospitality;  and 
.;rh  this  accident  was  far  from  being  agreeable,  as  it 
-■dedmy  journey,  yet  I  cannot  help  congratulating 
^■Ifon  having  employed  tlie  period  of  the  delay  in  a 
■  satisfactory  manner.  ^ 

i  continued  my  journey  without  any  fartlier  accident, 
arrived  on  the  9th  of  July,  early  in  the  morring,  at 
iA-  last  post  before  Tobolsk.  The  spring  floods  hr.d  not 
ong  subsided,  and  I  was  obliged  to  travel  the  last  foui" 
jerman  miles,  as  I  had  formerly  done,  in  a  miseraVlc 
»ark.  But  the  weather  was  fine,  and  my  mind  was  a> 
ercne  as  the  atmosphere.  I  saw  the  sam.e  objects  wilii 
ar  different  sensations,  and  my  soul  resembled  the  smoutli 
urface  over  which  we  were  gently  gliding. 

At  ten  oVlock  I  arrived  at  Tobolsk.  AI.  Becker,  as 
.'  have  already  said,  had  offered  me  his  house,  but  I 
^•aved  going  there  irarnediately,  being  uncertain  whe- 
her  such  a  step  might  be  agreeable  to  the  Governor, 
vho  was  obliged  above  all  other  men  to  observe  every 
neasure  of  prudence  and  circumspection. 
.  Under  this  impression,  I  preferred  going  directly  to 
''\^\'  former  quarters,  where  I  was  received  wilh  open 
ju'ms  by  the  master  of  the  house,  and  shown  into  the 
hpar!ment  which  I  had  before  occupied,  and  in  which 
tuiothcr  unfortunate  exile  hatl  lodged  since  I  left  it.  I 
;imounced  my  arrival  to  die  Governor  by  means  of  the 
Ira^von,  and  ns  soon  as  I  had  changed  my  drcv-,  T  fo! 
hw^A  him. 


The  courier  who  had  been  dispatched  to  me, 
who^e  name  was  Carpow,  lodged  in  the  same  ho 
with  us.    He  wa?,  however,  from  home,  and  I 
still  obliged  to  re>erve  all  tlie  anxious  questions  I 
to  ask  relative  to  my  family,  in  my  own  bosom.    I  fl 
to  the  Governor,  and  tbund  him,  as  before,  in  his  g;i 
den.    He  pressed  me  to  his  heart,  and  his  eyesspar^lta 
with  since: e  delight. 

My  first  inquiry  was  re-^pecting  those  who  belonged 
to  me.  Alas !  he  was  unable  to  afford  flie  the  least  infor- 
ma  ion;  he  however  strove  to  console  rae  by  every  ar- 
gument in  his  power.  He  sho  A^ed  me  the  ukase  which 
related  to  me,  and  which  contained  only  a  few  lines, 
wriaten  in  the  Court  Advocated  hand,  enjoining  him, 
"  to. set  the  withm-namcd  Koizebtre,  commitied  to  his 
keeping,  immediately  at  liberty  ;  to 'send  him  to  Peters- 
burg, and  to  farni'sh  him,  the  expense  of  the  Crown, 
with  whatever  was  necessary  or  agreeable  to  him."  The 
Courier  was  also  directed  to  delray  all  the  expenses  ol 
the journey. 

In  consequence  of  this  order,  the  Governor  asked  me 
■iViiat  sum  of  money  wouk!  be  sufficient  tor  me.    I  had 
still  some  hundred  roubles  in  my  possession,  and  I  should 
not  have  accepted  any  assistance,  had  1  not  appre- 
hended that  my  refusal  of  the  Emperor's  generous  offen 
miglit  be  construed  into  pride  or  disdain.    On  the  othei 
hand,  1  was  fearful  of  asking  too  much,  and  it  was  a: 
necessary  to  avoid  the  imputation  of  presumption  a 
tijat  of  haughtiness.    I  mentioned  my  scruples  to  the  Go 
vcrnor  ;  and  requested  him  to  assist  me  widi  his  advice. 
He  was  of  opinion  that  by  taking  three  hundred  roubles 
I  should  observe  a  proper  medium.    I  fixed  upon  thai 
sum,  and  had  then  no  other  w  ish  than  to  proceed  on  1113 
journey  within  two  hours.    In  vain  did  the  Govern" 
press  me  to  stay  a  few  days  at  Tobolsk;  I  ansvveicc 
with  some  degree  of  impatience,  that  I  considered  ever, 
Iiour  which  did  not  convey  me  nearer  to  my  wife,  n  < ; 
robbery  committed  upon  her.  .  He  acquiesced  i  ' 
reasoning,  and,  turning  with  apparent  emotion  to«^  \i 
a  hdy  tijat  sat  near  him,  he  explained  to  her,  iii  uj: 


Russian  language,  what  I  had  ju<;t  said.  He  promised 
to  give  jrdcrs  to  hasten  my  departure,  and  even  offered 
to  compel  the  man  who  had  so  shamefully  cheated  me  in 
purchase  of  my  carriage,  to  return  it  to  me  for  the 
•a  u-j  sum  which  he  had  paid  for  it.  I  thanked  him  for 
his  kindness,  but  preferred  railier  to  pursue  the  journey 
in  an  inconvenient  kibick  than  bfi  liable  to  stop  every 
moment  on  the  road  to  repair  the  carriage. 

I  did  not,  however,  depart  so  speedily  as  I  had  hoped. 
The  payment  of  the  three  hundred  roubles,  which  I  would 
;gladly  have  renounced,  required  many  formalities.  The 
Governor  was  obliged  to  write  to  the  city-chamber,  the 
Ismembers  of  which  attended  on  public  business  only  in 
'the  forenoon;  it  was  too  late  that  day,  and  I  was  under 
the  necessity  of  passing  that  night  at  Tobolsk. 

I  dined  with  the  Governor,  and  went  afterwards  to 
-see  my  good  friends  Kiniakoff,  Becker,  and  the  excellent 
Paterson,  who  all  received  me  with  expressions  of  the 
sincerest  friendship.  On  my  return  home  I  found  my 
Courier,  but  he  was  unable  to  give  me  any  information 
relative  to  my  family.  His  private  instructions,  vvJiich 
he  gave  me  to  read,  proved  indeed  that  the  Empercr 
was  perfectly  convinced  of  my  innocence,  since  he  was 
'^•harged  to  take  the  greatest  care  of  me  on  the  route,  and 
to  treat  me  xvsakie  udoivolst-ivre,  that  is  to  say,  to  do 
every  thing  that  could  contribute  to  my  satisfaction. 

For  this  purpose,  indeed,  a  bad  choice  had  been  made 
in  the  person  of  the  Courier.  M.^Carpow  was  one  of 
(he  most  ill-bred  and  slovenly  young  men  in  the  world, 
extremely  fond  of  his  ease,  and  as  lazy  as  a  spoiled  lap- 
dog;  never  giving  himself  the  least  trouble  about  anv 
thing.  It  was  a  matter  of  indi^^erence  to  him  wlietheV 
we  travelled  fast  or  slow :  he  did  not  even  p($j^ess  the 
talent  so  common  to  people  of  his  condition,  of  hurry- 
ing the  post-masters  and  drivers  by  assuming  an  air  of 
importance,  and  bestowing  threats  and  curses  upon  them. 
He  was  a  mere  log ;  and  his  invincible  apathy  has  often 
put^ny  patience  to  the  severest  trial.  In  other  respects 
•  he  was  a  good  sort  of  a  fellow ;  he  had  been  fbrraerlv 
Jjin  apothecary's  apprentice,  and  perhaps  was  well  eiiougli 

P 


170 

calculated  for  his  post  at  the  mortar.  He  was  ixi 
ed  at  not  being  able  to  stay  and  indulge  himself  a  i\- 
(lays  longer  at  Tobol>k.  It  was  likewise  rather  difiic 
to  satisfy  him  in  respect  to  money :  when  I  gave  him 
hundred  roubles  on  our  first  interview,  it  seemed  the  s'. 
did  not  equal  his  expectations. 

During  the  whole  evening  my  room  was  crowdi  d 
with  people,  who  came  to  congratulate  me,  some  oi 
whom  were  known,  and  others  quite  unknown  to  n 
The  Governor  himself  honoured  me  with  a  visit,  ai 
the  whole  town  vied  in  paying  me  the  same  compli- 
ment. 

This  night  was  the  first  I  had  passed  in  Siberia  in 
pleasant  and  uninterrupted  repose.  I  rose  early  nexf 
niorning,  in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  set  olf  by  ni] 
o'clock,  tor  which  purpose  I  had  already  engaged  a  boa 
but  unfortunately  I  was  obliged  to  wait  till  the  evenings 
before  the  petty  business  of  the  three  hundred  roubles 
w  as  decreed,  signed,  and  concluded  !  I  ought,  perhaps^ 
to  consider  this  delay  as  a  most  fortunate  circumstance^ 
fis  during  the  wdiole  clay  there  were  several  storms,  whicl. 
might  have  overset  the  boat.  I  derived  also  another  ad- 
vantage from  this  delay.  I  had  consented,  out  of  mere 
complaisance,  to  take  the  son  of  a  German  taylor  to  Pc"! 
tersburg  in  the  capacity  of  a  servant.  His  friends  hac 
concealed  from  me  that  he  was  subject  to  sickness  anc 
fits,  and  I  should  have  had  a  very  troublesome  travelling 
companion  in  the  poor  youth,  had  not  my  further  de 
lention  given  me  an  opportunity  of  discovering  his  in 
firmity.  > 

It  was,  however,  much  against  my  will  that  I  dine( 
and  supped  once  more  with  my  friends  at  Tobolsk.  To 
■wards  evcjiing  every  thing  was  ready,  when  the  wine 
and  rain  still  compelled  me  to  defer  my  departure  fb 
.some  hours.  I  fixed  it  for  three  the  next  morning,  anc 
threw  myself  upon  my  bed  without  takii:ig  off  my  clothes 

I  was  the  first  person  awake  in  the  house,  or,  to  ex 
press  myself  with  more  accu.-^acy,  I  did  not  close  m' 
eyes.  At  day-break  I  caused  my  lazy  companion  to  bj 
roused  from  his  plumbers.    The  tejppest  was  rather  iijij 


171 


;rca<t\l  than  diminished,  yet  I  resolved  to  wait  no  longer. 
At  four  o'clock  we  were  on  the  banks  of  the  Irtisch,  and 
I  saw  with  deHght  that  my  carriage  was  already  on  board 
(■  agitated  vessel.    "  Will  the  passage  be  dangerous?^' 
id  I  to  the  pilot.    "  Not  extremely  so,"  replied  he 
te  otschen  apasno.)     This  expression  was  somewhat 
alarming,  yet  inclination  got  the  better  of  fear,  and,  ii\ 
spite  of  all  my  companion  could  urge,  I  told  the  boatmen 
to  proceed. 

My  Italian  servant  had  accompanied  me  to  the  river. 
He  appeared  to  be  affected  at  taking  leave-;  but  his 
griefj  if  not  feigned,  most  probably  arose  from  the  loss 
of  his  opportunities  to  pilfer  me  :  for  although  I  gave  him 
a  considerable  gratuity,  besides  paying  him  die  waget 
due  to  him,  I  discovered,  on  opening  my  portmanteau, 
that  he  had  divided  with  me  the  few  things  vvhich  I  pos- 
se'^scd.  I  say  divided,  for  he  had  left  me  exactly  one  half 
of  every  thing:  he  had  even  cut  the  sheet  which  I  car- 
ried with  me  in  half.  May  he  enjoy  soft  and  pleasant 
slumbers  upon  it ;  and  no  doubt  but  he  may,  for  what 
is  called  conscitmce,  was  far  from  being  the  foible  of  this 
fellow. 

At  length  we  put  off,  and  die  joy  with  which  I  be- 
held the  water  that  rippled  between  me  and  the  shore, 
cannot  be  described.  My  eyes  were  fixed  upon  the 
town  as  it  receded  from  my  view;  upon  the  mass  of 
buildings  which  gradually  disappeared ;  and  I  should 
.have  continued  to  enjoy  this  charming 'scene,  at  once  so 
affecting  and  so  pleasing,  had  not  the  increasing  violence 
of  the  tempest,  the  motion  of  the  bark,  and  the  cries  of 
the  pilot  and  boatmen,  aroused  me  from  my  reverie. 

As  long  as  we  steered  over  the  deluged  fields,  as  long 
as  we  coasted  the  forests,  we  v/ent  on  pleasantly  enough  j 
but  when  we  were  obliged  to  venture  out  at  sea  (the 
reader  will  pardon  the  expression)  or  cross  the  sinuosities 
of  the  Irtisch  and  the  Tobol,  the  danger  became  immi- 
nent. The  waves  rolled  over  the  boat  every  moment, 
and  we  were  obliged  to  scoop  out  the  water  with  our 
hate,  or  in  any  manner  Ave  could.  No  one  could  stand 
ight  without  being  in  danger  of  falling  overboard, 


172 


and  at  the  moment  when  we  endeavoured* to  cross  tiB| 
Tobo!  in  the  tt;eth  of  the  wind,  our  bark  was  on  tld| 
poiiit  of  foundering.  The  day  before,  such  an  accideii] 
had  actually  happened.  It  was  only  by  crowding  afl 
together  on  the  elevated  side  of  the  vessel,  that  wecoull 
have  preserved  an  equilibrium,  and  thus  have  saved  ouq 
selves  from  instant  death.  1 

Vye  likewise  met  with  shallows,  where  the  grass  thj 
grew  in  the  meadows  over  which  we  passed  appearej 
above  water  ;  here  we  often  ran  aground.  It  was  then 
necessary  for  the  rowers  to  wade  half-way  up  their  bodiel 
in  water^to  push  the  barge  afloat  again,  which  often  re5 
qaired  much  time  and  labour. 

At  length,  after  toiling  for  more  than  seven  hours,  w| 
happily  arrived  on  the  opposite  shore,  and  from  this  mm 
ment  all  our  fatigues  on  water  were  at  an  end,  as  everj 
one  of  the  other  rivers  whiciv  had  s6'^much  incommoded 
me  on  my  way  to  Siberia,  had  now  sunk  into  their  usual 
channels.  The  gloomy  Sura,  the  beautiful  Kama,  the 
majestic  Wolga,  the  rapid  Wiatka,  had  all  subsided,  as 
if  they  had  been  averse  to  interrupt  my  return. 
^  A  new  danger,  however,  threatened  me  ^  little  be-  . 
fore  my  arrival  at  Tiumen.  I  felt  myself  exceedingly 
indisposed.  I  was  ignorant  of  the  cause  of  this  malady, 
the  symptoms  of  which  were  quite  new  to  me.  My 
whole  frame  underwent  such  violent  agitations,  that  I 
could  no  longer  bear  the  motion  of  the  carriage,  even  at 
a  moderate  rate.  I  had  unfortunately  no  remedy  at 
hand,  except  a  little  lemonade  powder.  My  good  friend 
Paterson  had  offered  me  ?ome  medicines  when  I  was  at 
Tobolsk,  but  as  I  had  no  idea  tliat  so  happy  a  journey 
could  be  attended  with  sickness,  I  had  refused  tiicm ; 
indeed  had  I  taken  them,  I  should  not  have  known  what 
to  have  used,  as  I  was  ignorant  of  the  cause  of  my  ill- 
jiess.  There  was  no  remedy  then  but  patience;  and  the 
tormenting  idea  of  being  so  near  tiie  end  of  my  journcV; 
and  yet  to  die  before  I  had  embraced  my  family,  w^as  J 
calculated  to  inspire  patience. 

I  was  conveyed  slowly  on  as  far  as  Tiumen,  wh/jr- 
we  arrived  in  the  afternoon.    Mv  Coi'iier  advi:ed 


173 


>*^raain  here  till  I  grew  better,  but  I  was  averse  to  aU 
emy ;  and  the  best  assistance  I  could  have  y^rocured  at 
iuinen  would  perhaps  have  been  an  ignorant  surgeon, 
's  there  was  no  physician  in  the  place.  I  preferred, 
lerefore,  at  all  events,  to  continue  my  route.  Am  1 
,ot,  thought  I  to  myself,  on  the  frontiers  of  Siberia  ?  At 
ast  I  will  pass  beyond  the  limits  of  my  exile  before  I 
(ie. 

We  proceeded,  but  my  pains  increased  to  such  a  de- 
cree, that  at  the  next  post  1  was  unable  to  bear  the  least 
notion  oi  the  carriage,  and  was  obliged  to  pass  the  night 
n  a  miserable  \nllage.    It  was  already  evening:  I  caused 
I  bed  to  be  made  in  my  kibick.  in  the  best  manner  it 
:ouId  be  done,  and  endeavoured  to  sleep.    I  was,  hovv- 
ver,  unable  to  close  my  eye-lids;  my  illness  was  now 
it  its  crisis :  it  was  long  and'  violent,  but  my  constitution 
triumphed  at  length,  and  to  this  struggle  1  am  perhaps 
indebted  for  that  health  which  I  enjoyed  all  last  winter, 
during  which  I  was  in  better  health  tlian  I  had  experi- 
enced for  the  twelve  preceding  years. 

The  next  morning  1  was  able,  though  extremely  w^cak, 
to  continue  my  journey,  and  at  ten  o'clock  I  again  saw 
the  direction-post  in  the  forest  that  indicated  the  bouiida- 
ries  of  Tobolsk,  and  w^hich  I  had  before  beheld  with  such 
heart-felt  grief. 

On  my  former  journey  I  had  been  allow^ed  to  purchase 
at  Moscow  a  few  bottles  of  Burgundy  to  strengthen  my 
stomach.    I  paid  at  the  rate  of  ibur  roubles  a  bottle. — 
The  state  of  my  finances  not  permitting  me  to  indulge 
in  extravagance,  I  had  only  purchased  three  bottles :  two 
were  emptied  on  my  arrival  at  Tobolsk ;  tlic  third  ac- 
companied me  to  Kurgan :  I  had  preserved  it  as  a  trea- 
sure, and  destined  it  for  the  celebration  of  the  day  of  my 
wife's  arrival.    I  now  drew  the  cork,  in  the  face  of  this 
pest,  witli  the  assistance  of  a  cork-screw  my  dear  mother 
h  id  given  me  last  new-year's  day,  and  which  I  nov/  u-;ed 
he  first  time.    1  drank  several  glasses.    1  shed  tears 
^')y.    I  made  the  courier  and  the  driver  drink  wit.'; 
i ^nd  then  brokj^tlie  empty  bottle  against  the  post  ; 


174 


after  ^vliitli,  v/ifch  a  light  heart,  and  as  if  I  had  nolhiB 
more  to  fear,  I  gjily .cried,  "  Drive  on,  postilion." 

As  my  health  continued  to  mend,  I  recovered  nij^B 
customed  flow  of  spirits,  and  quickened  the  progresJH 
my  journey.  .  I  had,  however,  two  difficulties  to  cc^t 
bat  with :  the  first  aro;.^  rrom  the  bad  condition  of  fl 
kibick  ;  it  was  old  wb.en  I  bought  it,  and  had  carrB 
me,  including  the  journey  to  and  from  Kurgan,  mor? 
than  four  hundred  leagues.  It  grew  more  and  more  out 
of  order  every  hour,  and  at  K  r.gth  began  to  crack  jn  the 
most  alarming  manner.  I  had  been  obliged  to  stop  a 
dozen  times  to  have  it  repaired,  and  I  was  aware  the 
moment  was  not  far  off  in  which  1  should  be  left  in  the 
middle  of  the  high-way.  I  dclermlncd,  therefore,  to  dis- 
pose of  it  at  the  next  stage,  and  to  make  use  of  the  post 
jjcibicks,  notwithstanding  they  are  the  most  incommodious 
of  all  vehicles.  They  are  in  fact  mere  carts,  generally 
•without  any  covering,  and  so  short,  that  the  traveller 
cannot  lie  in  them  at  full  length.  They  are  changed  at 
every  stage,  which,  besides  the  trotible  of  loading  and 
imloading  the  baggage,  exposes  the  traveller  to  the  in-  ! 
convenience  of  quitting  his  bed  in  tlie  coldest  night,  and 
in  all  weathers.  Scarcely  perhaps  has  he,  by  covering 
liimsclf  up  to  the  chin  with  tlie  bed  clothes,  began  to 
feel  warmth,  when  the  kibick  slops,  and  he  is  compelled 
to  quit  it  for  another. 

My  Courier  made  all  these  representations  to  me  r 
aware  how  much  he  should  suffer  by  this  plan,  he  of 
cour-^e  employed  all  his  rhetoric  to  dissuade  me  from 
adopting  it.    I  had,  however,  calculated  that  we  must^ 
iose  a  day  or  more  in  case  the  kibick  broke  down  on  the  1 
road;  I  had  considered  the  possibility  of  my  dear  wife 
being  ill,  perhaps  dangerously  ill;  that  my  arrival  might 
contribute  to  her  recovery,  and  that  an  hour's  delay  might 
possibly  render  my  arrival  too  late  to  save  her  life. — 
These  considerations  triumphed  over  every  difficulty,  and" 
determined  my  conduct.    At  the  next  stage  I  incui- 
who  was  the  poorest  man  in  the  village ;  to  him  I  rt:: 
a  present  of  my  old  kibick,  and  in       manner  remo 
tiie  first  obstacle.    It  was  far  morcfjpicult  to  over^  p,^>  ^ 


175 

le  second;  for  what  steps  could  be  taken  to  give  at" - 
vity  to  my  lazy  automaton  of  a  Courier  ?  Every  expc- 
icnthad  hitherto  proved  of  no  avail;  presents,  threats, 
dicule  and  reproaches  were  all  in  vain  ;  his  indolence 
•as  invincible:  he  was  perpetually  yawning,  and  cryng 
at  that  we  had  time  to  spare.  It  was  surely  as  a  pun- 
hment  for  my  sins  that  this  most  dilatory,  most  stupid 
fall  couriers  was  selected. 

In  the  midst  of  all  the  distress  which  I  felt  on  this  oc- 
asion,  an  angel  of  deli\'erance  appeared  in  the  person 
|f  IVaisili  Sukin,  v>'hom  the  Emperor  had  dispatched 
'ith  all  possible  speed  from  his  anti-chamber  to  restore 
Idiberty  a  merchant  whom  Prince  Potemkin  had  banished 
j)  Siberia  eight  years  ago.  The  Courier,  who  had  ar- 
[ved  at  Tobolsk  before  I  left  that  place,  had  waited  for 
jie  prisoner  there,  who  had  been  exiled,  if  I  am  not 
[iistaken,  to  Pelim,  a 'thousand  verstes  farther  up  the' 
)untry.  They  could  not  have  set  out  till  some  days 
"ter  my  departure.  The  Merchant  arrived  at  Tobolsk 
ith  his  legs  swelled  and  full  of  .sores,  but  in  spite  of  the 
lattered  state  of  his  health,  impatience  furnished  him 
ith  wings.  He  set  oif,  and,  thanks  to  the  laziness  of 
y  friend  Carpow,  he  overtook  us  in  the  neighbourhood 
r  Ekatarinabourg. 

From  this  moment  we  proceeded  with  rapidity.  Was- 
li  Sukin  was  a  spirited,  active  young  man  ;  he  lookedaf- 
jrthe  relays  of  horses  himself,  and,  either  kind  or  rigid, 
?  circumstances  required,  knew  how  to  handle  the  whip, 
hd  to  spur  on  both  man  and  horse.    Carpow,  thus  find- 
Sig  himself  relieved  from  all  kind  of  trouble,  had  nothing 
'lore  to  do  than  follow  Sukin.    Even  in  this,  however, 
ie  failed,  and  we  always  arrived  a  quarter  of  an  hour  later 
ji  each  stage.    However,  we  found  our  horses  always 
ad      nd  were  never  detained  a  moment.    Had  it  not 
iie  service  Sukin  rendered  me,  I  should  not 
ived  at  Petersburg  so  soon  as  I  did  by  ten  days. 
•d>t  add  one  word  more  on  the  subject  of  the  mer- 
7ho  accompanied  me.    He  had  been  podrddsiMck' 
Crown  (a  contr^^i"  for  piovisions  and  buildings)  ;  = 
Y  A»*a  acquired  great  wealth,  had  a  house  at  Petersburg, 


176 


and  another  at  Moscow.    Being  exasperated  at 
unnecessary  delays,  and  a  variety  of  frauds  that  had  been 
practised  upon  him  by  Prince  Potemkin,  lie  one  (.hy 
iitter«d  some  inconsiderateexpressionsin  theanti-chambei 
of  that  favourite,  and  was  instantly  sent  into  banishmei 
and  deprived  of  every  thing  he  had,  even  to  his  vi 
cloak.    At  Pelim,  in  the  very  heart  of  Siberia,  hebeca 
what  is  calhd  forgotten,  and  earned  his  bread  by  Wjt 
ing  as  acommon  labourer.    He  had  even,  accordinj 
his  own  account,  been  announced  as  dead,  in  a  formal, 
port  delivered  to  Government.    This  gentleman 
ignorant  by  whom,  or  in  what  manner  the  Emperor 
been  informed  of  his  innocence,  and  of  his  being  still  ali^ 
When  sent  into  banishment  he  had  not  been  allowec 
see  his  wife  or  his  children,  and  since  that  time  he 
not  heard  any  tiling  concerning  them  or  his  prppep 
Let  the  reader  imagine  with  what  ardour  he  burned' 
see  his  family  again.    Although  he  was  old  and  teebl 
and  obliged  at  every  stage  to  have  his  wounds  dress<^ 
he  never  during  the  whole  journey  deferred  the  mom( 
of  our  departure,  but  would  even  have  travelled  fast< 
On  the  15th  of  July  we  arrived  at  Ekatarinabou^ 
"where  we  rested.    T  purchased  some  fine  Siberian  stom 
at  the  polishing  manufactory,  where  they  are  sold  ver 
cheap.    These  I  intended  to  present  to  ray  daughte: 
for  necklaces,  which  from  them  might  pass  to  my  late 
posterity,  in  memory  of  the  most  unhappy  event  of  the 
father's  life. 

As  we  were  proceeding  on  our  journey,  after  qui, 
ting  Ekalarinahourg,  and  were  passing  through  an  ii. 
paved  town  called  Kungun,  I  very  narrowly  escape' 
Bering  killed,  in  the  following  manner:  We  were  dri' 
ing  very  swiftly  down  a  hill,  when  the  axle-tree  snai 
ped,  and  the  kibick  was  overturned.    My  head  tone 
cd  the  pavement,  and  as  the  hordes  continued  gallopin 
I  was  dragged  over  the  stones,  in  the  most  imniine 
danger  of  being  dashed  to  pieces.    My  hat  pre  .t  i  v< 
me  in  the  first  instance — ^but  I  so<m  lost  it,  and  mi. 
certainly  have  perished,  hadnot.some  peasants,  who 
a  fair  had  drawn  to  the  town,  stopped  the  horse j^.    1 1\ 


II  177 

.  od  a  severe  contusion ;  the  postt'-iriin  suffered  still 
r  re  and  bled  very  much  ;  wliile  the  passive  Capovv, 
no  was  sitting  with  his  legs  dangling  over  the  side  oi' 
t;  kibick,  Was  gently  pitched  into  the  mire. 
On  the  18th  we  arrived  at  Perm,  where  I  lodged 
'   the  honest  clock-maker,  Rosenburg,  and  peace- 
•  rested  my  weary  limbs  upon  the  self-same  sofa,  on 
htwo  months  before  I  lay  agitated  with  despair, 
rom  Perm  to  Casan  nothing  particular  occurred,  and 
:(ood  spirits  I  enjoyed  were  only  damped  by  the 
i  of  the  exiles  we  continually  met  with  on  the  road, 
c  of  them,  like  myself,  were  in  their  own  carriages, 
icrs  in  openkibicks ;  and  afar  greater  number,  chained 
;ether  in  couples,  travelled  on  foot,  and  were  escort- 
by  parties  of  armed  peasants,  who  were  relieved 
m. village  to  village.    Some  of  them  had  forked  pieces 
wood  fastened  about  their  necks,  the  handle  of  which 
igover  their  breasts  and  fell  down  to  their  knees.  In 
se  handles  were  two  holes,  through  which  their  hands 
1  been  thrust  by  force.    The  spectacle  was  truly 
icking — all  those  who  walked  on  foot  asked  our  chari- 
and  with  what  pleasure  did  I  relieve  them  !  I,  who 
s  returning  from  my  captivity !    I,  who  was  flying 
the  arms  of  my  family. 

[  likewise  met  several  companies  of  emigrants  destin- 
to  people  the  new  city  which  was  building  by  Uie 
iperor's  orders  on  confines  of  China.  The  men 
1  women  walked  on  foot ;  the  children  were  perched 
3n  the  waggons,  among  bales  and  boxes,  dogs  and 
'iltry.  Their  countenances  did  not  express  either 
'  or  satisfaction. 

n  the  22d  of  July,  at  noon,  I  entered  the  city  of 
II,  and  lodged  iiV  a  very  handsome  house,  designed 
'irposes  of  public  festivity,  the  mistress  of  which 
xtreraely  attentive  and  obliging.    I  did  not  neglect 
a  visit  to  the  liospitable  Justilei  Timofeitsch, 
house  was  so  infested  with  taracans,  to  thank  him 
ao;e  for  his  former  kindness. 

'  .1^  induced  to  spend  the  rest  of  the  day  at  C?.san, 
iiiuon  oi  my  wife  was  married  and  settled  tlierev 


178 


"Oi  lth  whom  I  wrfHed  to  speak,  as  I  knew  she  corresj 
e  l  with  her  frrcnds  in  Estonia,  and  I  flattered 
with  the  hope  of  learning  some  tidings  from  hor 
trembled  as  I  entered  the  house  ;  she  received  me  w 
open  arms ;  but  alas !  had  not  a  word  of  consolation 
ine,  being  totally  unacquainted  with  the  state  ofj 
family.  One  of  her  brothers,  indeed,  had  just  wi 
to  Iier,  and  mentioned  that  Baroness  Dellingshausei 
wife's  sister,  was  preparing  for  a  journey  to  Germj 
but  of  my  wife,  not  a  word  was  said!  If  this  brotW 
her's  had  been  aware  what  pain  his  silence  occa?i< 
me,  he  certainly  would  not  have  carried  his  dread  ol 
Government  to  such  an  excess ;  he  would  have  inse| 
a  few  lines,  however  insignificant  in  the  eye  of  a  st 
ger,  and  without  making  any  mention  of  my  nam^ 
that  momeiTt  so  odious,  would  simply  have  obserj 
"  Our  cousin  is  here  or  there;  is  in  good  health, 
in  such  or  such  a  manner/'  I  could  indeed  drawr] 
consoling  inference  from  his  letter,  that  she  was 
dead ;  lor  surely,  said  I,  he  would  at  least  have 
lured  to  have  stated  such  an  event  as  that. 

On  my  arrival  at  Casan  I  enjoyed  a  very  agree 
surprise.  Every  one,  wliether  known  or  unkn( 
Germans,  French  and  Russians,  crowded  to  see 
and  expressed,  in  a  diousand  ways,  the  good  will  tli' 
bore  me.  They  had  heard  two  months  before  tha 
bad  passed  through  the  town,  and  had  given  themseh 
mucii  trouble  to  find  me  out,  but  in  vain;  for  my  ai, 
able -Counsellor  had  taken  effectual  measures  to  prev 
my  being  known. 

Ciisan  is  a  large  and  populous  city,  well  built,  s 
has  a  lively  appearance.  The  custom-house  is  not  ir 
rior  to  that  of  Petersburg,  or  Moscow,  in  the  size  of 
structure,  or  the  extensiveness  of  its  business.  T|?e 
tique  fortress  of  the  Khans  ofTartary,  which  wa?  df  ? 
iished  by  I  wan  Wassilewitsch,  rises  above  th'  ^  hci^- 
of  an  adjacent  rock,  and  forms  a  grand  and  pic  uii 
'?pectacle.  The  building  is  very  extensive; 
luins  has  been  lately  restored,  and  is  no  w  jr.)  labit'^d 
rommander  of  the  town. 


179 


1  he  strangers  resident  at  Casan  are  sociable,  and  their 
inner  of  lite  very  agreeable.  Were  I  obliged  to  h've 
the  interior  part  of  Russia^  this  would  be  the  spot  which 
hould  prefer. 

On  leaving  Casan  I  was  accompanied  by  half  a  do- 
n  droschkasy  and  other  carriages,  as  far  as  the  banks 
the  Wolga,  which,  on  my  first  passage  over  it,  reach- 
^to  the  very  walls  of  the  city,  but  now  flowed  in  its 
gular  bed  seven  verstes  farther  on.  At  Casan  I  pur- 
ased  a  kibick  to  continue  my  journey  with  more  con- 
inience. 

Having  crossed  the  Wolga,  Carpow  showed  me  the 
ot  where  he  had  met  my  Counsellor  and  Schulkins, 
horn  he  very  much  astonished  by  the  news  of  my  recal. 
The  Counsellor  particularly  regretted  his  not  having 
reseen  the  favourable  turn  that  my  affairs  had  taken, 
his  regret  did  not  arise  from  a  very  pure  source. 
Between  Casan  and  Novogorod,  I  saw  at  dif?erent 
nes,  and  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  a  group  of  armed 
en,  seated  round  a  great  fire,  the  meaning  of  which 
y  curiosity  at  last  induced  me  to  inquire  into.  The 
formation  I  received  was  not  of  the  most  agreeable  na- 
re :  They  were  parties  of  peasants  under  guard  to 
)ver  the  road,  which  was  much  infested  by  robbers, 
hom  the  fair  of  Makariow  f  had  drawn  in  bands  to  this 
iighbourhood.  Hitherto  I  had  observed  nothing  sus- 
icious  on  the  way  ;  a  traveller,  however,  who  meets  the 
tail  for  the  first  time  in  this  country,  naturally  concludes 
lat  the  roads  are  very  dangerous,  which  in  f  act  they  are. 
I'he  kibick,  in  which  the  Courier  rides  w^ith  the  mail,  \^ 
llways'accompanied  by  four  or  five  peasants  armed  with 
uns  and  sw^ords,  who  are  hardly  able  to  keep  up  with 
:.  This  precaution,  however,  has  only  lately  taken 
lace,  in  consequence  of  an  order  of  Paul  1.  which 
lakes  every  Governor  responsible  for  the  mail  within 

*  A  kind  of  small  carriage,  composed  of  a  mere  bench,  some-- 
;mcs  saiffed,  and  mounted  upoa  four  wheels, 
t  Bnschlng,  vlie  Geographer,  mistakes  m  mailing  Makariow 
'  convent,  and  not  a  town. 


180 

the  precincts  of  his  jurisdiction.    It  is  therefore 
lliat  ihe  Governors,  especially  of  thinly-inhabited 
tries,  should  provide  against  danger.    This  order, 
ever,  appears  to. me  to  be  very  severe;  since,  in  a 
try  ^Yhere  immense  forests  afford  the  robbers  an  i 
vious  retreat,  no  human  power  is  able  to  prevent 
depredations.  ^ 
On  appioachir.g  Nischnei  Novogorod,  my  eyes 
regaled  with  the  sight  of  two  objects  which  1  had 
along  time  met  with.  These  were  cherry-trees  and! 
hives.    It  is  well-kno^n,  iiiough  not  accounted  for 
there  are  neither  bees  nor  cherries  to  be  found  in 
ria;  and  that  all  fruit-bearing  trees  are  unknownj 
rarely  to  be  found.    The  joy  I  felt  at  the  sight  of  r 
old  acquaintances  was  transporting.       I  am  now  in  E 
rope,"  I  cried  exultingiy,  *'  I  am  now  near  my  nati 
home!" 

At  Nischnei,  I  would  fain  have  dined  in  the  Em 
pean  manner,  hu':  could  find  nothing  but  a  miseral 
Russian  hut,  without  any  thing  to  eat;  nor  was  ther( 
better  inn  in  the  whole  place.    Returning,  after  t 
fruitless  search,  to  the  door  of  the  post-house,  I  l)eg 
to  make  preparation  for  eating  my  bread  and  cheese 
my  kibick,  whliO  Sukin  was  gone  into  the  house  tohasl 
the  arrival  of  fresh  horses.    Through  him  it  was  c 
covered  who  I  was,  and  immediately  a  servant 
from  the  mistress  of  the  house  to  invite  me  in  the 
polite  manner  to  dine  v^^ith  her.    My  long  beard, 
combed  hair,  and  my  torn  night-gown,  were  suffi 
apologies  for  excusing  myself,  but  they  were  not  ad 
ted  as  such.    The  servant  was  sent  back  to  inform  m 
should  dine  alone  in  a  private  room  and  be  incommoc 
by  no  one. 

I  could  not  long  resist  such  polite  entreatie-,  and  h; 
ing  been  ilL-supplied  w^ith  food  for  several  days  past 
was  tempted  to  accept  the  invitation.  I  came  do 
from  the  kibick,  and  entered  the  house  very  much 
i^embling  poor  Tom  in  King  Lear,  I  was  shown  i 
an  elegant  room,  in  which  I  ibftnd  a  table  prepared,  '< 
where  I  was  left  to  myself  foe  several  minutes.    -\  '.oi 


181 


ul  handsome  woman,  the  mistress  of  the  house,  cxceed- 
igly  well  dressed,  then  made  her  appearance,  and  ad* 
P  ressed  me  in  German,  and  ascribed  the  rudeness  she  had 
;  een  guilty  of  to  her  desire  of  being  acquainted  with  me. 

Although  a  great  admirer  of  the  fair  sex,  I  must  con- 
[issthis  unexpected  introduction-threw  me  into  thegreat- 
st  embarrassment.  I  considered  myself  as  Diogenes  be- 
)re  Aspasia :  all  her  affability  could  not  relieve  me  from 
le  false  shame  that  had  wholly  taken  possession  of  nie, 
>ery  time  I  cast  my  eyes  upon  my  old  night-gown,  or 
>ok  a  peep  in  the  looking-glass,  I  felt  myself  shrink  into 
othing.  My  perplexity  was  increased  when  1  observed 
lat  the  room  was  filling  apace  with  men  and  Women  of 
le  first  consequence,  both  Germans  and  Russians,  who' 
11  accosted  me  in  the  politest  manner,  while  I  alone  sat 
ating,  like  a  King  of  FraiKe  or  Spain  dining  in  state. 
U  one  time  the  spectators  interested  my  feelings,  by  ex- 
sessions  of  the  most  affectionate  concern  which  they 
Dok  in  my  welfare;  and  at  another  put  me  quite  out  of 
ountenance  by  the  extravagant  praises  they  bestowed 
pon  me.  Nor  was  this  all ;  the  scene  was  not  ended 
ill  the  first  volume  of  ray  dramatic  works  had  been  sent 
or,  in  order  to  compare  the  portrait  with  the  long- 
learded  original. 

Although  my  appetite  and  my  vanity  had  been  suffici- 
•ntly  pampered,  I  must  confess  it  was  -apt  till  I  had  re- 
urned  to  my  kibick,  that  I  was  able  to'^relish  tlie  grati- 
ication  of  the  last  hour.  Then  it  was  (and  why  should 
deny  it?)  that  the  reflection  on  this  singular  scene  on 
|he  confines  of  Asia,  and  in  an  uncivilized  country, 
iouched  and  flattered  my  heart.  To  have  found  at 
.Vischnei-Novogorod  admirers  of  my  muse,  who  were 
mxious  to  serve,  to  console,  to  honour  me,  because  they 
ecognized  in  me  an  old  acquaintance,  who  had  long 
ince  gained  their  esteem,  was  a  singular  kind  of  triumph  ! 
\nd  I  prefer  this  recompense  to  all  the  adulation  of  the 
:>ul)iic  prints,  since  at  the  present  day  their  praises  of 
iving  authcns  is  rarely  pure  or  disinterested. 

I  WHS  again  llireatened  with  new  perils  on  the  road 
rom  Nischnei  to  Moscow,  and  from  which  I  escaped 

Q 


182 


through  my  own  vigilance.    I  had  passed  four 
witliout  having  slept,  when  towards  evening,  as  it  bcl 
to  rain,  I  resolved  to  remain  in  a  village  till  day-breakj 
ordered  the  horses  to  be  ready  at  4  o'clock  in  the  m9 
ing,  and  desired  that  I  might  be  called  at  that  hour  J 
was  called  accordingly,  wiien  looking  towards  the  im\ 
dovv,  it  appf'-firod  as  it'  the  day  had  begun  to  dawn,  jfi 
Ihurried  into  my  kibick.   Wassili  Sukin  and  his  merchan] 
;et  out  before  me,  and  I  followed  them  closely.  Thr- 
had  a  young  lad  for  Iheir  driver,  and  mine  was  a  r 
with  a  black,  beard  and  a  savage  countenance. 

I  soon  perceix'cd  that  the  light  which  I  had  talen 
break  of  day,  was  nothing  else  than  that  of  the  moon, 
took  out  my  watch,  and  found  it  was  only  one  o'clodki 
This  surprised  me  exceedingly,  'i'he  Russian  posdlion! 
Jike  ail  others,  1  knew  had  rather  rise  too  late  than  to 
early ;  and  I  xvas  at  a  loss  to  account  lor  my  having  bee 
called  three  hours  before  my  time.  I  resolved  not  t 
fall  asleep  on  the  road,  and  having  nothing  to  fear  whil 
ihe  two  carriages  kept  together,  I  ordered  my  driver  m 
*o  loiter  behinti,  which  he  often  attempted,  under  vc 
lious  pretences,  to  do. 

My  indolent  Carpow,  according  to  custom,  \vas  soo, 
fast  asleep,  yet,  as  I  v»'as  not  fally  persuaded  that  m 
suspicions  \vere  well-grounded,  I  was  unwilling  to  awakej 
lain.  The  postilion  often  turned  his  head  round,  an^ 
eved  us  orje  after  the  other.  1  looked  him,  howevch 
lull  in  the  face  every  time  he  cast  his  eye  towards  m( 
us  much  as  to  say,  1  am  still  awake.  At  length  I  dd 
termined  to  try  what  he  would  do  in  case  he  thought  i 
had  fallen  asleep,  that  I  might  take  my  measures  accorc 
ingly.  I  closed  my  eyes,  therefore,  but  peeped  fron 
time  to  time,  vs  henever  the  motions  of  the  postilion  e>[ 
cited  my  suspicion.  This  precaution  seemed  the  mor 
necessary  after  I  had  observed  that  he  carried  a  Ion 
knife,  in  a  sheath,  by  his  side.  I  had  caught  a  glimpsl 
of  this  formidable  weapon  as  he  was  getting  doyvfi  froi; 
his  scat  to  lastcn  a  cord  that  had  given  way  in  thfcJfe^iiCS; 
Both  I  and  the  Courier  were  unarmed,  and  two  bad 
ward  stabs,  which  he  might  have  given  us  witliout  re 


188 


\  ig  off  his  box,  would  easily  iiave  dispatched  us  had  we 
I  Dcn  asleep. 

1  Scarcely  had  I  begun  to  play  my  part,  and  appeared 
l|i  be  fast  asleep,  when  he  turned  towards  me  and  looked 
i\:  me  for  some  time,  in  a  very  steadfast  manner.  Hitherto 
itimidated  by  my  threats  and  maledictions,  he  had  fol- 
twed  the  other  kibick  rather  closely,  but  from  this  mo- 
lent  he  began  to  slacken  his  pace.  The  better  to  be 
pnvinced  of  his  bad  intentions,  I  suffered  the  first  car- 
tage to  advance  a  little  before  ours ;  but  the  postihon 
jad  soon  occasion  to  stop  to  repair  his  harness,  an  acci- 
ent  that  commonly  happens  every  quarter  of  an  hour  on 
ne  road.  My  driver  likewise  alighted  on  pretence  of 
jistening  a  belt.  It  began  to  grow  light  however,  and 
j  could  plainly  see  that  the  belt  had  not  been  loose ;  and 
hat  the  fellow  appeared  to  be  busy  in  adjusting  it,  the 
'Ctter  to  observe  whether  I  was  asleep  or  not. 

As  soon  as  he  thought  himself  safe,  he  called  out  to 
he  young  lad  in  a  low  voice,  and  said  several  words  u  hicii 
did  not  understand  :  I  judged  by  the  answer  of  the  lat- 
er, that  he  had  asked  what  the  two  travellers  were  do- 
ng,  for  the  boy  replied  by  the  single  word  spit,  they 
.re  bolh  asleep." 

They  now  began  a  conversation  in  a  kind  of  whisper, 
vhich  lasted  a  considerable  time,  and  during  which,  it 
vill  not  be  supposed,  I  was  at  all  at  my  ease.  This 
conversation  1  soon  thought  fit  to  interrupt  by  a  volley 
)f  maledictions,  and  calling  the  postilion  a  scoundrel  to 
lis  face.  He  protested  that  he  was  innocent  of  any  bad 
design ;  but  I  maintained,  in  a  firm  manner,  that  I  had 
overheard  all  their  discourse,  and  at  the  same  time  took 
care  to  speak  of  the  importance  of  the  dispatches  I  had 
with  me,  and  threatened  to  shoot  him  witli  a  pistol, 
though  I  had  not  one  in  my  possession.  I  likewise  roused 
my  Courier,  and  told  him  what  had  passed ;  and,  leap- 
ing out  of  my  kibick,  1  hastened  to  awaken  the  merchant 
and  Sukin.  We  were  all  on  our  legs  in  a  moment,  and 
my  voice,  which  echoed  in  the  forest,  seeftied  to  acquire 
new  strength-  We  all  joined  in  the  most  violeut  re- 
proaches; the  postilion  mounted  his  seat,  grumbled, 


184 


ar.d  drove  on  without  looking  either  on  one  side  orl 
Cither.  H 

At  the  distance  of  a  verste  from  the  spot  where  H 
happened,  we  perceived  two  men  in  the  middle  of  I 
road,  who  appeared  to  be  waiting  for  us;  for  I  hadfl 
marked,  some  time  before  we  came  up  to  them, 
they  were  standing  still.  The  moment  the  postilion  s«l' 
them,  he  began  to  make  a  noise  with  his  horses,  as  i 
he  wished  to  signify  to  these  men  that  we  were  not  asleep 
We  drove  very  fast  by  these  fellows,  who  stared  at  o; 
very  attentively,  but  durst  not  venture  to  attack  us,  anc 
we  arrived  in  safety  at  the  next  stage. 

I  am  fully  convinced  that  a  scheme  had  been  forraec 
to  assassinate,  or,  at  least,  to  rob  us.  This  project  wa 
chiefly  directed  against  me,  and  the  affair  explains  itsel 
naturally  enough.  The  merchant  travelled  in  an  opei 
kibick;  it  was  easy  to  discover  what  he  had  with  hiir 
when  his  baggage  was  handed  from  one  carriage  to  an 
other,  and  it  afforded  nothing  worth  the  trouble  of  steal 
ing ;  while,  on  the  contrary,  it  might  be  supposed  tha 
my  covered  kibick  contained  hidden  treasures.  I  ha( 
likewise  opened  my  travelling  box  the  evening  before 
in  which  a  silver  coffee-pot,  and  other  plate,  might  hav( 
been  noticed.  Nor  was  it  necessary  to  be  a  deep  phy 
siognomist  to  perceive  that  Carpow  was  a  stupid  fellov 
that  might  easily  be  dispatched.  The  plan,  according 
to  all  appearance,  was  to  let  Sukin  and  the  merchan 
gain  ground  upon  us ;  we  should  then  have  lagged  be 
hind  to  the  spot  where  the  two  fellows  were  posted  t 
ivav-lay  us :  there  we  should  have  been  robbed,  perhap 
murdered,  and  the  postilion  in  either  case  could  hav< 
maintained  that  he  was  innocent  of  all  connivance.  Wha 
still  further  confirms  me  in  my  conjecture  is,  that  th' 
postilion,  at  the  beginning  of  the  stage,  was  always  com 
plaining  that  he  could  not  make  his  horses  move ;  an< 
afterwards,  when  his  scheme  was  defeated,  and  he  ha( 
no  interest  in  retarding  them,  they  went  on  with  mor^ 
spirit  than  those  which  the  young  lad  drove. 

On  the  28th  of  July,  having  at  length  escaped  all 
dangers  of  a  long  journey  of  so  many  dreary,  solitar 


185 


niles,  I  beheld  the  immense  city  of  Moscow  rismg  mu- 
ifestically  before  me.  ' 

1  stopped  awhile  on  an  eminence  to  enjoy  the  fine 
ucene  it  afforded,  but  soon  hastened  within  its  walls,  full 
iDf  the  pleasing  hope  of  hearing  at  last  some  account  of 
my  family ;  and,  after  having  driven  through  a  numbeu 
streets,  I  alighted  at  an  hole!  which  belonged  tea 
good  old  French  woman,  whom  M.  Becker  had  recom- 
jmended  to  me.    After  a  few  hours  necessary  repose,  of 
iwhich  I  stood  in  great  need,  and  which  I  had  hardly  pa- 
Itience  to  take ;  and  after  having  cleaned  myself^  and. 
iwith  the  assistance  of  tlie  comb  and  razor,  recovered  the 
appearance  of  a  human  creature,  I  waited  on  M.  Francis 
iCourtener,  a  bookseller,  of  whom  M.  Becker  had  spoken 
in  the  highest  terms  of  approbation.    I  found  him  just 
as  he  had  been  described  to  me,  and  he  received  me  with 
{the  most  cordial  hospitality. 

My  first  question  was,  whether  he  could  give  me  any 
information  of  my  wife.  He  remembered  to  have  heard, 
in  a  vague  manner,  that  the  Emperor  had  sent  for  her  to 
Petersburg,  and  had  received  her  in  the  most  gracious 
manner.  I  interrupted  him  to  inquire  whence  he  had 
the  account,  but  he  could  not  recollect  it. 

I  accompanied  him  on  a  visit  to  M.  Karamsin,  an  en- 
tertaining writer,  known  even  in  Germany  by  his  '^Let- 
ters of  a  Russian  Traveller."  He  received  me  in  a  very 
I  friendly  manner,  and  informed  me  that  he  had  likewise 
heard  the  above-mentioned  rumour:  he  knew  not,  how- 
ever, from  what  source  it  had  arisen,  but  both  he  aiid 
M.  Courtener  promised  that  they  would  endeavour  to 
trace  it  out. 

The  reader  may  imagine  what  pleasure  I  felt  in  tlie 
society  of  authors  and  booksellers,  after  having  passed 
four  months  almost  wholly  destitute  of  literary  food!  M. 
Karamsin's  cabinet  too,  was  furnished  v/ith  ergravings 
of  the  principal  authors  of  Germany;  and  I  could  speak 
to  him  of  Wieland,  of  Schiller,  of  Herder,  and  Gothe^ 
and  of  my  dear  native  country,  to  which  he  sceme»l  to 
be  very  partial,  /** 


186 


1  passed  this  and  the  following  day  at  Moscow,  and  1 
?imii.sed  myself  in  examining  the  curiosities  ofllie  place. 
My  hopes  of  hearing  farther  particulars  relative  to  my  ] 
family,  proved  fruitless,  and  I  quickly  considered  the  ii 
story  of  her  arrival  at  Petersburg,  as  an  unfounded  row 
port.  I 

I  should  have  been  glad  to  have  paid  a  visit  to  GenerJ 
Mertens,  to  have  recalled  to  memory  the  melancholy  m3| 
incnts  we  passed  together  on  the  Wolga,  but  he  wj 
making  a  tour  through  his  government. 

At  Wi  chnei  Wolotschok,  which  lay  no  more  tlian 
ibur  hundred  and  thirty-two  verstes  from  Petersburg,  I 
determined  to  separate  from  my  worthy  Wassili  Sukin,  I 
who  hitherto  had  accompanied  me  out  of  mere  complai- 
sance, on  account  of  the  laziness  of  my  courier,  and  to 
lu&i:  ijl^i0'ib  go  fbf wards,  that  in  case  my  wife  should 
really  be  at  Petersburg,  he  might  inform  her  of  my  speedy 
arrival.  I  gave  him  a  note  for  her,  in  which  I  begged 
her  to  meet  me  at  the  first  stage.  I  gave  him,  at  the 
same  time,  the  address  of  my  old  and  faithful  friend  Grau- 
mann,*  from  whom  he  might  learn  if  she  was  at  Peters- 
burg, and  w^here  she  lodged. 

He  set  off,  accompanied  with  my  best  wishes,  and  I 
^calculated  ,tl;^at  he  would  arrive  at  the  capital  twenty- 
ibur  hours  before  me.  It  seemed  that  the  mark  of  con- 
fidence which  I  had  just  given  Sukin,  roused  the  am- 
bition of  my  slow  and  heavy  companion,  for  he  now  be- 
came much  more  alert  and  attentive  than  usual.  We 
passed  through  the  city  of  Novogorod,  famous  for  the 
Hansiatic  alliance,  without  making  any  stay,  and  at  every 
.stage  we  came  to,  we  learnt  that  Sukin  had  set  off  but 
a  few  hours  before. 

At  the  last  stage  but  one  he  had  left  his  passport,  with- 
out which  he  Could  not  have  ventured  to  enter  Peters- 
burg. He  waiied  our  arrival,  at  the  last  post,  under 
great  apprehensions ;  fortunately,  however,  we  had  taken 
care  of  his  papers,  which  we  gave  him.    It  was  now 

*  An  intimacy  of  twenty-four  years  has  produced  no  alteration 
om  reciprocal  sentiments. 


I  iibout  four  in  the  afternoon,  and  I  stepped  into  my  ki^ 
iiick,  for  the  last  time,  with  a  palpitating  heart. 
I  At  Zarskoxelo,  a  country  palace  of  the  Emperor's,  we 
!;v'ere  stopped  three  or  four  times  by  the  piquet-guard, 
i.vvhose  tedious  examinations  cost  me  many  a  sigh.  But 
ny  patience  was  now  put  to  a  severer  test :  A  number 
Df  troops  having  received  orders  to  march  on  this  day  to 
iGatsrhina,  the  Emperor's  favour rte  residence,  to  be  re- 
viewed there,  I  met,  within  a  dozen  verstes  of  Peters- 
burg, six  regiments  on  their  march,  with  their  ammuni- 
tion waggons,  forges,  &c.  through  which  it  was  impos- 
\iih\e  to  make  my  way.  I  had  a  long  hour  to  wait,  dur- 
ing which  my  impatience  became  inlolerably  painful.. 
'  Nor  was  this  all ;  1  had  very  nearly  fallen  into  serious 
'trouble.  The  Grand  Duke  Alexander  was  on  horseback 
jat  the  head  of  the  troops.  I  did  not  know  him,  and  even 
had  I  been  acquainted  with  his  person,  I  was  ignorant 
of  the  order  tliat  required  every  person  to  get  out  of  his 
carriage  when  any  of  the  Imperial  family  passed  by.  My 
indolent  Courier  seemed  to  know  as  httle  as  myself,  and 
we  remained  in  our  places.  I  should  infallibly  have  been 
arrested  and  carried  to  the  police  prison,  if  the  gracious 
Prince,  notwithstanding  he  looked  us  full  in  the  face,  had 
not  shown  himself  superior  to  noticing  our  involuntary 
neglect. 

At  nine  in  the  evening  we  arrived  at  (he  barriers  of 
the  capital,  where  we  underwent,  as  we  did  soon  after 
at  the  gate,  a  long  and  troublesome  examination.  A 
Cossack  on  horseback  accompanied  us  from  thence  to 
the  commander,  who  lodged  in  the  Imperial  palace.— 
The  two  Couriers  alighted  and  went  in,  while  I  remain- 
ed on  this  well-known  spot,  in  the  most  tormenting  state 
of  anxiety  and  distress. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  passed  in  this  manner,  after 
which  we  were  taken  to  Count  Pahlen,  the  military  Go- 
vernor of  the  city.  He  was  from  home,  and  we  had  to 
travel  still  farther.  I  was  extremely  desirous,  late  as  it 
1  was,  to  be  set  down  at  my  friend  Graumann*s,  but  the 
Couriers  had  received  strict  orders  to  deliver  us  up  to 
the  Court-advocate,  and  we  were  driven  to  his  Ifeusst 


188 


He  was  at  Gatschina,  and  his  deputy  in  the  depart 

secret  dispatches,  M.  Fuchs,  Counsellor  of  State,  11 
at  a  great  distance  from  thence.  What  was  to  be  do; 
The  Couriers  left  the  merchant  and  my  self  in  the  o; 
street  under  the  guard  of  the  Court-advocate*s  serva 
who  had  crowded  to  the  door  out  of  mere  curiosity  ; 
hastened  to  M.  Fuchs'  lodgings. 

I  remained  full  half  an  hour  leaning  over  the  para] 
wall  of  the  Moika,  contemplating  its  peaceful  curr 
while  my  heart  was  torn  by  a  thousand  different  e 
tions.  At  length  the  Couriers  returned,  and  M.  Fui 
came  soon  after  them.  He  spoke  to  me  with  great 
liteness,  and  provided  me  with  a  small  chamber  at 
office  for  that  night.  To  the  request  I  had  made  of 
ing  allowed  to  be  driven  to  rhy  friend  Graumann's,  K 
replied,  that  although  I  was  no  longer  absolutely  a  state- 
prisoner,  it  was  his  immediate  duly  to  make  his  report 
at  Gatschina,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  final  orders; 
and  tiiat  he  would  instantly  send  off  an  express.  The 
answer  could  not  arrive  before  the  next  day  ;  and  he  beg- 
ged I  would  accept  of  such  accommodations  as  he  could 
procure  for  me  that  night. 

I  inquired  after  my  wife,  but  he  was  unable  to  give 
me  any  account  of  her ;  the  dream  of  hope,  therefore, 
which  had  accompanied  me  in  so  agreeable  a  manner, 
from  Moscow  to  Petersburg,  was  now  at  an  end. 

I  likewise  asked  him,  why  I  had  been  exiled }  All 
the  infoimation  he  could  give  me  on  this  subject  was, 
that  every  thing  had  been  done  by  the  special  order  oi 
the  Emperor,  who,  he  added,  had  inquired  a  few  days 
since  whether  I  was  returned.  He  assured  me  all  my 
papers  were  in  the  hands  of  the  Court-advocate,  and 
would  be  faithfully  restored  to  me.  He  then  took  his 
leave,  and  retired  to  hasten  the  departure  of  his  Courier. 

The  night  passed  away  in  a  verv  melancholy  manner, 
and  1  was  unable  to  close  my  eyes.  I  felt  myselt  more 
deluded  than  ever,  as  my  desire  of  seeing  my  family  had 
never  been  so  strong,  nor  my  expectation  so  well  found* 
ed.  To  the  vexation  of  this  disappointment  was  added 
the  gloomy  impressions  ar ising  from  the  chamber  in  which 


189 


lay.  It  was  a  low  and  narrow  room,  into  which  botk 
nnocent  and  guilty  were  indiscriminately  thrown,  as 
con  as  they  fell  into  the  power  of  the  Secret  Inquisition. 
'  Excepting  a  bed,  a  table,  a  bedstead  and  a  chair,  nothing 
:  )Ut  the  four  walls  was  to  be  seen.  The  bedstead  swarm - 
I  ;d  with  vermin,  which  prevented  even  an  attempt  to 
f  :Ieep.  With  what  delight  did  I  behold  the  break  of  day  ! 
I  W^ith  what  impatience  did  I  await  the  return  of  the 
|i  Courier,  who  was  to  bring  me  liberty,  and  enable  me  to 
(     to  my  friend  Graumann  ! 

Ii  At  about  eight  o'clock  M.  Fuchs  called  upon  me  again. 
He  had  not  received  any  answer  from  Gatschina ; 
,but  how  great  were  my  transports,  when  he  in- 
tformed  me  that  my  wife  was  in  Petersburg.  It  was  the 
'  sensation  of  a  palsied  man  restored  in  a  moment  to  the 
,  use  of  his  limbs  by  an  electric  stroke.  I  was  frantic 
I  with  delight :  tears  of  joy  started  from  my  eyes.  Where 
lis  she  ?"  was  all  my  answer.    He  could  not  tell  me,  nor 

!was  he  able  to  release  me  from  the  restraint  I  still  lay 
under  ;  but  he  informed  me  I  was  at  full  liberty  to  send 
for  any  person  I  wished  to  see. 
I  immediately  dispatched  Sukin  in  quest  of  M.  Grau- 
mann ;  he  quickly  came  back  and  informed  me  of  the 
transports  of  my  worthy  friend,  who  had  made  him  a 
I  handsome  present,  and  sent  me  the  following  billet : 

Your  wife  and  your  children  are  w^ell,  and  lodge- 
I  not  far  from  me.    Before  you  see  them,  call  on  me,  that 
I  may  prepare  Madame  de  Kotzebue  for  this  meeting  * 
sudden  joy  may  prove  fatal  to  her.'' 

Sukin  returned  to  inform  him,  that  I  was  not  yet  al- 
lowed to  go  out,  but  that  I  might  receive  any  one  where 
I  was;  and  I  conjured  him  by  the  friendship  that  had 
subsisted  between  us,  to  let  me  see  my  family  as  soon 
as  possible.  He  came.  I  shall  not  speak  of  our  mutual 
joy ;  the  scene  was  the  fir^^t  step  only  that  led  me  to  my 
domestic  paradise.  He  told  me  my  wife  was  in  good 
health,  though  still  weak,  in  consequence  of  a  miscar- 
riage my  misfortune  had  occasioned.  He  convinced  me 
nf  th(?  necessity  of  preparing  her  by  slow  degrees  for  rav 
reception,  notwithstanding  she  had  expectejJ  mc  for 


190 

some  time  past.  I  saw  the  propriety  of  his  advice,  and 
yielded.  ^ 

Belbre  he  came  to  me  he  had  been  with  her.  His 
cheerful  countenance  appearing  to  her  a  good  omen,  she 
had  received  him  with  these  words,  "  You  have  certain- 
ly some  news  from  my  husband  !"  He  replied  he  had, 
and  that  I  was  not  far  off.  Upon  this  he  showed  her  the 
note  I  had  written  him  from  Wischnei  Wolotschok,  in 
which  I  had  begged  her  to  meet  me  at  the  first 
stage.  Wassili  Sukin  had  given  my  note,  tho'  now  of 
no  use,  into  his  hands,  with  that  I  had  written  from  the 
secret  expedition  office,  and  my  friend  had  been  able  to 
convert  it  to  a  good  purpose.  My  impatient  wife,  quite 
wild  at  seeing  my  note,  immediately  sent  to  order  post- 
horses,  and  determined  to  set  off  i^i  an  instant.  She  re- 
quested Graumann  to  hasten  to  the  military  Governor  of 
the  city  to  procure  a  passport,  without  which  no  one,  at 
that  time,  was  allowed  to  go  beyond  the  gates.  This 
he  was  obliged  to  promise,  in  order  to  appease  her; 
and  under  pretence  of  going  to  the  Governor,  he  left 
her  and  repaired  to  me. 

He  found  me  equally  restless  and  impatient.  I  bless- 
ed and  condemned  his  prudence  at  the  same  moment, 
and  he  now  left  me  with  the  promise  of  bringing  my 
wife  to  me  as  soon  as  he  thought  it  could  be  done  with- 
out danger. 

As  he  entered  her  room,  she  cried  out,  "  Where  is 
the  passport !"  You  have  no  occasion  for  one,"  he  re- 
plied. He  is  arrived !"  said  she,  and  then  flung  her 
arms  about  his  neck. 

In  vain  he  attempted  to  reason  with  her:  he  was 
obliged  to  conduct  her  to  me  that  very  moment  in  his 
coach,  and  all  he  could  obtain  from  her  was,  that  she 
would  stay  some  minutes  in  the  carriage,  while  he  gave 
me  information  of  her  arrival. 

I  was  conversing  with  M.  Fuchs,  when  Graumann, 
with  the  countenance  of  an  angel,  burst  into  the  room: 

Your  wife  is  here,"  said  he.  I  could  not  contain  my-m 
self,  but  uttered  a  loud  cry  of  joy.  M.  Fuchs  had  thm 
delicacy  to  retire,  to  avoid  disturbing  the  first  momcn^^ 


191 


f  our  re-union.  Graiimann  was  gone  to  conduct  her 
)  me.  I  stood  trembling  at  the  window,  wliich  was 
list  over  the  gate-way:  I  saw  my  wife  enter;  I  stag- 
gered towards  the  door ;  she  rushed  in,  and  fainted  in 
iiy  arms. 

Who  can  attempt  the  description  of  such  a  scene  !  I 
'  )ity  the  man  who  cannot  enter  into  ray  feeHngs  on  this 
occasion.  Yes,  there  are  moments  in  life  which  coun- 
»  terbalance  years,  that  compensate  for  a  series  of  years  of 
!  misery !  I  would  not  at  this  moment  have  relinquished 
.  for  the  world  the  remembrance  of  what  I  had  suffered  : 
1  the  enjoyment  of  this  one  moment  overbalanced  it  all. 

!^  With  the  assistance  of  my  friend,  I  had  placed  my 
;wife  on  the  only  chair  the  room  afforded.  Kneeling 
If  down  and  hiding  my  face  in  her  lap,  I  wept  such  tears  as 
I  I  had  never  wept  before,  and  waited  till  her  senses  should 
I  return.  She  recovered,  and  hanging  affectionately  over 
I  me,  mingled  her  tears  with  mine.  My  friend  walked 
;  silently  about  the  room ;  he  was  much  affected ;  he  was 
\  not  an  indifferent  spectator  of  this  affecting  scene ;  he 
t;  shared  in  the  transports  of  if.  Generous  man  !  This 
'I  hour  has  recompensed  thee  for  all  thou  hast  done  for  me 
(  and  mine:  Thou  hast  enjoyed  a  scene  which  is  not  often 
I  represented  on  the  great  stage  of  the  world,  and  thou  felt 
I  that  thy  disinterested  friendship  had  contributed  to  pre- 
i  pare  it. 

After  the  first  transports  of  delight  had  in  some  degree 
subsided,  after  we  had  recovered  our  speech,  what  ques- 
tions we  had  to  ask  !  What  answers !  What  broken  re- 
citals and  narrations !  How  often  did  we  interrupt  each 
other,  and  smile  and  kiss  off  the  tear  that  bedewed  our 
cheeks !  It  seemed  as  if  our  graves  had  been  opened,  as 
if  we  were  rising  from  the  earth,  and  -had  become  two 
celestial  substances,  enjoying  a  new  union  in  a  better 
world,  and  casting  a  last  look  upon  the  sufferings  wc 
had  undergone  in  our  terrestrial  career. 

My  dear  wife  then  related  what  had  happened  to  her 
from  the  moment  of  our  separation.  She  mentioned  her 
recovery  Irom  her  first  swoon,  the  death-like  silence 
that  b:urrounded  her,  and  which  was  only  interrupted  by 


192 


the  sobs  of  our  eldest  daughter,  who  was  seated  on  tl 
ground  in  the  corner  of  the  room,  and  weeping  in  s 
Jence. 

In  vain  had  I  flattered  myself,  under  my  aflPiictioi 
that  the  Governor  of  Courland  and  his  family  vvoul 
liave  taken  pit_y  on  them :  neglected  by  them  and 
world,  she  only  found  compassion  and  consolation  ii 
quarter  where  she  had  no  right  to  expect  it ;  at  the 
at  which  we  had  alighted.  The  landlord  and  his 
(the  name  of  these  wortliy  people  is  Rader)  treated 
.  with  humanity  and  delicacy,  and  afforded  the  finest 
ample  of  disinterested  feelings,  even  in  a  condition 
life  in  which  their  absence  would  have  been  excuseabj 
Obliged  by  misfortune  and  our  separation,  as  muclij 
by  reason  and  necessity,  to  observe  the  strictest  ecoE 
my,  my  wife  intended  to  deny  the  children  their  acci 
tomed  dainties,  but  Madame  Rader  supplied  them 
«tealth,  and  likewise  placed  jelhes  and  other  delic 
cies  of  the  kind  upon  the  table  of  their  sick  moth^ 
without  making  any  extra  charge  in  the  bill. 

General  d'Essen,*  to  whom  we  are  related,  came 
regularly  twice  a  day  to  see  my  wUe,  without  caring  fo 
the  danger  to  which  he  was  exposed,  although  he  him- 
!self  had  already  been  so  much  the  object  of  calumny. 
He  did  all  he  could  to  console  and  divert  his  kinswoman. 
May  God  reward  him  for  it! 

M.  de  Wachter,  Counsellor  of  the  Regency,  and 
his  lady,  whose  acquaintance  we  had  first  made  at  Reval, 
and  with  whom  we  had  been  but  sligh  tly  connected,  proved 
on  this  occasion,  that  misfortune  strengthens  the  bonds 
of  friendship. 

With  what  pleasure!  with  what  gratitude  do  I  here 
mention  the  small  number  of  generous-minded  people, 
who  assi>:ted  my  wife,  as  much  as  was  in  their  power> 
to  support  the  burthen  that  bowed  her  to  the  earth. 


*  The  same  who  commanded  in  Holland,  after  the  unfortu- 
inate  battle  in  which  General  Herman  was  taken  prisoner,  anc' 

who  was  soon  after  dismissed  from  the  service,  because  

hated  the  v.  itntss  of  his  exploits. 


193 


M.  de  Weitbecht,  the  Secrelarv,  had  or,e  single  time 
goodness  to  pay  a  visit  to  my  wile,  and  to  he  anqn/ 
she  wept.    "  Do  not  weep,  Madame/'  he' cried, 
:  and  over  again;      of  what  u",e  are  your  learsr" 
insisted  on  seeing  the  Governor.       The  Gover- 
rep'ied  lie,  "  has  as  great  an  aversion  as  myself  to 
jieople  cry."       Ah,"  rephed  my  wife,  **if  he  is 
mined  not  to  see  tlie  unhappy,  let  him  resign  his 

-   -  V.  . 

.\t  last  she  obtained  an  audience.    M.  de  Driesen  re- 
ed her  in  his  morning  gown,  with  his  pipe  in  his 
.!i,and  said  a  thousand  pretty  unmeaning  things  lo  her, 
:.ever  asked  her  to  sit  down.    He  made  excuses  for 
iame  de  Driesen,  who,  he  said,  was  not  able  to  re- 
c  her,  on  account  of  her  pregnancy ;  as  if  that  cir- 
^tance  would  not  allow  l;er  to  be  seen  by  an  unfor- 
lC  sufferer  of  her  own  sex.    After  some  moments  oF 
:o  conversation,  during  which  he  concealed  everv 
^  that  related  to  my  situation,  he  put  an  end  to  the 
conducted  my  v\ife  to  the  door,  and  from  that  time 
no  further  notice  of  her.    She  continued  to  expect 
■eturnfrom  Petersburg  every  moment;  at  tlie  rum.- 
of  every  carriage  that  passed  by,  she  w^ould  run  to 
window.    Every  letter  which  she  wrote  was  in- 
ed  by  the  Governor,  and  she  was  forbidden  to 
lion  a  word  relative  to  my  misfortune  or  her  own 
tion.    Not  one  of  these  letters  were  transmitted  to 
i -arsons  for  whom  they  were  intended  ;  but  all  of  them 
■  transcribed  and  the  copies  sent  to  Petersburg.  A 
.'e  letter  happily  reached  my  friend  Graumann,  the 
i!;y  Rader  having  put  it  into  tiie  post-office  wiLh  his 
n  hands. 

Thank  heaven,  I  can  now,  without  the  least  danger, 
-it  to  the  public  eye  every  incident,  and  cve/v  trait 
aracter  connected  with  my  hi-^tovy. 
t  length,  after  fifteen  days  of  anxious  expectation, 
wife  obtalne*!  the  Emperor's  leave  to  retire  to  Esto- 
ia,  to  or.e  of  her  relations.    She  left  Mittau,  and  airiv- 
d  dt  Riga,  where  she  was  obliged  to  make  some  stay" 
n  account  of  her  healtli.    The  master  of  the  hotel  de 


194 


Petersburg,  M.  Langwitz,  was  irapnulent  enough  to 
ply,  when  asked  by  her,  if"  I  had  lodged  there  in  my  y 
through  Riga;  O  no!  they  took  him  directly  to' 
bolsk." — What  must  have  been  her  horror  !  She  had  i 
till  then,  entertained  the  slightest  idea  of  my  ban 
ment!  She,  however,  soon  began  to  discredit  the 
count,  and  my  friend,  Eckhardt,  Counsellor  of  the  ] 
gcncy,  with  the  assistance  of  some  other  humane  p 
pie,  at  "last  succeeded,  in  some  degree,  in  tranquillj^ 
her  mind. 

I  snatch  this  opportunity  of  naming,  at  the  heac^ 
tliese  compassionate  and  worthy  persons,  M.  de  Rich 
Governor  of  Riga.  He  instantly  visited  my  wife,  a 
treated  her  in  the  most  delicate  and  generous  mann< 
and  by  the  contrast  made  her  doubly  sensible  of  the  ha 
ships  she  had  undergone  at  Mittau.  The  only  thing 
refused  her  was,  the  information  where  I  was;  he  asi 
ed  her,  however,  that  I  v;as  neither  shut  up  in  the: 
tress  of  Riga,  nor  in  (he  neighbourhood;  and  that 
had  received  a  very  satisfactory  account  respecting  | 
existence  and  my  health. 

I  must  mention  also,  with  gratitude,  two  other  pe 
sons,  whom  the  ties  of  blood,  and  the  feehngs  of  h\ 
maniiy,  equally  attached  to  my  unhappy  wile;  and  the- 
are  Count  and  Countess  Sievers  de  Wenden.  Thisg* 
nercus  pair  flew  to  their  relation,  and  treated  her  wi 
the  most  delicate  attentions.  Let  them  not,  on  readir 
^hese  lines,  mistake  them  for  the  measure  of  my  gral 
tude,  but  asfiUTe  themselves,  that  it  can  only  be  equalh 
in  extent  and  force  by  their  own  noble  scntimenis.  I 

Though  my  wife  was  consoled  by  the  kind  interci 
-which  the  Governor  of  Riga,  and  the  whole  town,  to<i 
in  my  extraordinary  affair ;  tliough  she  was  comforted  1' 
ihe  lender  and  brotherly  attentions  of  my  friend  P>khar(| 
vv-ho  softened  the  anguish  of  her  most  painful  hours;  ai 
though  slie  vv'as  treated  with  as  much  skill  as  disintere:' 
cdness  by  Dr.  StofFregen,  there  were  nevertheless  m 
inents  in  whiih  the  weiglit  of  her  affliction  threaten 
her  destruction.  Our  little  ones  Would  frequently  ap! 
before  the  door;  the  passengers  would  stop  and  icAni^ 


195 


0  vvliom  they  belonged,  and  after  having  l<?arnl  Ihi?;, 
vould  often  shed  tears  as  they  left  them,  and  oiclaim, 
'  Poor  children !" — This  was  so  often  repeated,  that  one 

they  ran  in  to  their  mother,  and  asked  her  why  they 
. ,  c  always  called  poor  children  ?  Another  time  one  of 
hem,  of  her  own  accord,  asked  her  mother  to  let  her 
le  fettered  and  sent  to  her  father,  to  bear  him  company, 
t  may  easily  be  imagined  what  eflect  these  scenes  had 
ipon  a  mind  so  distracted  and  a  constitution  so  shaken, 
.s  u  ere  those  of  iny  poor  wife. 

As  soon  as  she  had,  in  some  degree,  recruited  her 
icalth,  she  continued  her  journey,  and  passing  through 
Dopart,  arrived  at  our  favourite  Friedenthal.  The  most 
gainful  sensations  were  renewed  in  her  mind,  the  mo- 
iicnt  she  beheld,  from  an  adjacent  hill,  the  spot  where 
ve  had  passed  together  so  many  years  of  uninterrupted 
,  "ellcity.  She  had  not  resolution  enough  to  take  up  her 
»,ibode  in  our  beloved  habitation,  in  which  every  apart- 
nent,  every  piece  of  furniture,  would  have  brought  to 
ler  recollection  her  unfortunate  husband ;  she  chose  rather 
:o  alight  at  the  house  of  M.  Koch,  the  minister  of  the 
Darish,  and  as  worthy  an  ecclesiastic  a:,  ever  preached 
;he  Gospel  of  Truth.  His  wife,  of  French  origin,  having  ^ 
jecn  Madame  de  Kotzebue's  instructress,  has  the  merit 
)f  being  the  first  who  enriched  her  mind  with  know- 
edge,  and  her  heart  with  sentiment.  She  is  not  inferior 
to  her  husband  in  education,  mind,  or  talents.  They 
became  acquainted  first  in  the  paternal  mansion  of  mv 
wife,  where  he  was  tutor  and  she  was  governess.  They 
soon  became  attached  to  each  other,  and  at  last  v/ere 
raarried.  M.  Koch  is  likewise  my  old  college  friend,  so 
that  our  families  have  always  continued  upon  tlie  most 
friendly  and  affectionate  terms.  My  dear  good  wife  was 
received  by  this  respectable  couple,  as  a  daughter  would 
have  been  by  her  father  and  mother.  They  consoled 
her,  they  bestowed  upon  her  the  most  unremitting  atten- 
tions, and  the  most  cordial  caresses. 

1  Officious  people  were  not  wanting,  who'advised  this 
worthy  man  to  withdraw  his  protection  from  my  \vife 
ito  avoid  danger  to  himself;  to  these  counsellors,  how- 


<-Vidr,  ho  replied  great  firmness,  that  were  he  cw 
tain  t }  be  sent  td'TSiberia  for  his  conduct,  he  would  stm 
nersist  in  it. 

May  Heaven  bless  this  excellent  fanilly,  who  In  a 
distant  corner  of  the  world  exercise  their  benevolence, 
ivithoiit  pomp  or  ostentation;  and  who  unite  the  sim- 
plicity and  integrity  of  rural  nanners  with  the  culture 
and  politeness  of  Courts! — May  Heaven,  I  say,  blesK 
them  !  and  should,  sooner  or  later,  the  caprice  of  for- 
tune fi'own  on  any  of  their  children  or  descendants,  let 
thes6  lines  serve  lor  me  and  my  posterity,  as  a  sacred 
and  valid  promissory  note  of  hand  at  their  service.  I 
declare  in  the  face  of  all  Europe,  that  as  long,  as  my 
children  shall  continue  to  respect  my  memory,  and  value 
my  blessing,  every  member  of  this  worthy" family  shall 
find  my  house  and  my  heart  open  to  them,  as  well  as  the 
iiou-^es  and  the  hearts  of  my  descendants. 

Here,  in  the  circle  of  her  respectable  friends,  my  wife 
at  last  received  tlie  letter  which  I  had  written  to  her 
from  Stockmanshof,  and  which  had  undergone  many 
strange  adventures  before  it  came  to  her  hands.  The 
young  man  to  whom  I  had  entrusted  it,  with  the  other 
Ivvo,  appears  to  have  wanted  resolution  or  address  to 
forward  them  according  to  their  direction.  M.  de  Bayer, 
or  perhaps  the  cautious  M.  Prostenius,  probably  sent 
them  to  the  Governor  of  Riga,  who  must  have  forward- 
ed them  to  the  Court  Advocate  of  Petersburg.  The  let- 
ter to  Count  Cobenzel  had  been  instantly  suppressed; 
und  such  was  then  the  gloomy  state  of  the  political  hori- 
zon, that  I  consider  the  precaution  as  prudent  and  ne- 
cessary. The  Court  Advocate  showed  these  letters  to 
the  Emperor,  who  was  angry  at  my  having  called  Count 
de  Pahlen  his  favourite,  and  that  I  had  applied  to  him 
in  that  capacity  for  his  protection.  It  was  one  of  the 
singularities  of  this  Prince,  not  to  suft'er  it  to  be  said  that 
lie  had  any  favourite,  nor  allow  any  one  to  boast  of  hav- 
ing an  influence  over  him.  It  may  likewise  be  snppo=;ed 
that  the  Court  Advocate,  the  declared  enemy  of  ti)(; 
Count,  did  not  fail,  on  the  present  occasion,  to  do  him 
all  the  injury  in  his  power,  and  to  represent  tlie  mntU:; 


1^7 


to  the  Emperor  in  the  most  odious  point  of  view.  In 
short,  the  Emperor,  though  he  saw  Count  Pahlen  every 
day,  caused  my  letter  to  be  transmitted  to  him  th'-ough 
the  Court  Advocate.  He  did  not,  however,  speak  a 
word  to  him  on  the  subject,  and  looked  cool  on  him  for 
;i  long  time.  The  Count  has  since  given  me  to  under- 
stand, that  I  had  very  nearly  been  the  cause  of  his  dis- 
grace. 

As  to  the  letter  to  Madame  Kotzebue,  although  it 
would  have  been  more  delicate  to  have  suppressed  't,  as 
.  it  had  been  written  in  a  moment  of  despair,  the  Emperor 
•'^ave  orders  that  it  should  be  forwarded  according  to  its 
address,  and  delivered  on  having  a  receipt  for  it*  It 
v^as  therefore  sent  to  the  Governor  of  Estonia,  who,  in 
[lis  turn,  dispatched  it  to  Baron  de  Rosen,  the  provin- 
;ial  Judge*  of  the  circle  of  Wesenburg,  who  at  last  de^ 
ivered  it  to  my  wife,  and  took  from  her  a  receipt  sub- 
-.cnbed  by  her  trembling  hand. 

This  fatal  letter  produced,  as  I  had  but  too  well  fore- 
een,  the  most  dreadful  effects.  Mv  wife,  reduced  to 
last  extremity  of  grief,  fell  into  labour  and  miscar- 
j  ied:  her  recovery  was  long  doubtful,  and  more  than 
)nce  she  was  on  the  brink  of  the  grave.  Had  it 
lot  been  for  the  tender  assiduity,  the  inexpressible  at- 
;entions  of  the  Koch  family,  T,  with  six  helpless  orphans, 
should  at  this  moment  be  deploring  her  loss ;  and  what 
Emperor,  what  empire,  could  indemnify  me  for  such  a 
calamity  ? 

She  recovered.^As  soon  as  she  had  gained  a  little 
itrength,  she  accepted  the  invitation  of  my  intimate  friend 
iCnorring,  at  Reval,  and  went  thither  to  concert  with 
ler  "relations  and  friends,  not  on  w^hat  she  intended  to 
io,  for  she  had  already  resolved  to  follow  me  into  Sibe- 
•ia ;  but  how  she  should  put  tliat  intention  into  execu- 
ion,  and  previously  to  arrange  with  them  our  pecuniary 
ifTairs. 

*Ths -Judges  and  provincial  Counsellors  of  Llyonia  andEs* 
oma  superintend  the  police  of  the  country. 


198 


Many  of  our  former  friends  at  Reval  behaved  In  a  r<l 
equivocal  manner  on  ray  wife's  arrival  among  them, 
pass  over  their  names  in  silence,  to  do  justice  to  my  rfl 
friends,  De  Knorring  and  his  lady,  Huek,  and  mifl 
otiiers,  who  g"ave  themselves  up  without  the  least  sqfl 
pie  or  fear,  to  the  impulses  of  Uieir  own  hearts.  In  vfl 
did  several  timid-minded  per?ons  advise  De  Knorrin^B 
shut  his  doors  against  my  unhappy  wife.  He  remained 
firm  ;  his  friendsliip  wavered  not,  though  he  has  since 
acknowledged  to  me,  that  he  expected  to  be  involved 
in  some  unpleasant  dilemma,  and  even  to  be  obliged  t« 
take  a  journey  to  Petersburg  to  clear  up  his  conduct. 

My  wife  had  now  but  one  idea  which  engrossed  her 
attention — her  journey  to  Siberia.  Whatever  could  be 
urged  to  dissuade  her  from  it,  was  of  no  avail ;  she  was 
not  to  be  mo\  ed ;  and  even  when  she  was  given  to  hope 
that  my  exile  would  not  be  of  long  duration,  and  the  step 
ronsequendy  useless>  she  replied  with  warnnli,  that  if 
it  only  contributed  to  soften  my  afT;ictions  for  a  few  days, 
it  w«uld  more  than  repay  her  trouble.  Her  chamber- 
maid, Catherine  Terigmaun  (she  deserves  to  have  her 
7\am.e  mentioned,  it  is  an  homage  of  gratitude)  offered 
10  accompany  Iier,  although  she  would  have  left  behind 
a  moilier  seventy  years  of  age.  "  I  have  partaken," 
'aid  she,  "  in  ycair  prosperity,  and  it  is  but  just  I  should 
share  your  misfortunes.-"  My^  wife  intended  to  bring 
our  youngest  girl  with  her,  and  to  leave  the  other  children 
at  Reval.  She  had  engaged  to  pay  a  considerable  sura 
to  a  man  whom  she  could  trust,  to  e^-cort  her  on  the  jour* 
ney,  and  her  departure  was  fixed  for  the  1st  of  July. 

Such  was  the  slate  of  things  on  the  17 di  of  June,  whe«: 
my  wife,  having  passed  the  morning  under  great  dejec- 
tion of  mind,  after  dinner  retired  to  her  chamber,  and 
threw  herself  on  the  bed.    M.  de  Knorring  was  cnjoy-( 
Ing  the  fresh  air  at  the  balcony,  from  whence  he  saw  ai 
Courier  galloping  along  the  avenue,  wdio  passed  by,  made 
inqiiivies,  rciurned,  held  his  dispatches  over  his  head, 
arid,  uiighting  from  his  horse,  darted  into  the  hal!.-  My 
friend  flew  to  meet  him,  haii-hopmg  and  half-afraid,  and 
his  family  began  to  tremble  for  Knorring  himself. 


19f> 

Good  news  exclaimed  (he  Courier  with  a  shotu. 
,  of  joy,  holding  in  his  hand  a  letter  from  Count  de  Pah- 
jlcn  to  my  wile.  Knorring  would  have  taken  the  letter^ 
I  but  the  Courier  begged  to  deliver  it  into  her  own  hands. 
ijThe  family,  though  wild  with  delight,  had  nevertheless 
recourse  to  every  necessary  precaution.  On  theone  hand, 
tho^  were  averse  to  disturb  my  wifi?,  on  the  other,  they 
were  impatient  to  communicate  the  happy  tidings. 
Their  friend,  however,  was  not  asleep ;  she  perceived 
the  door  to  be  a  little  a  jar,  and  several  faces  peeping  in 
to  see  if  she  was  awake,  and  upon  every  face  she  ob- 
served an  impression  of  satisfaction,  which  they  had  not 
worn  for  some  time  past.  What  is  the  matter?"  said 
die,  raising  herself  up  a  little. 

Nothing  at  all,"  replied  they;  "  we  only  came  to 
see  if  you  were  asleep." 

"  No,  no,  you  have  some  good  news  to  lell  me ;  I 
see  it  on  your  countenances." 

"  Well,  we  have:  wc  bring  you  good  news  from 
your  husband;  a  courier  from  Count  Pahlen  waits  ibr 
you  below." 

She  sprung  to  tlie  door,  and  in  a  moment  was  in  the 
lall.  She  seized  the  letter,  tore  it  open,  and  with  eyes 
lalf-blinded  with  tears,  read  as  follows : 

'^MADAM, 

"  His  Majesty,  the  Emperor,  condescends  to  peN 
Tiit  you  to  come  to  Petersburg,  and  to  reside  there  witii 
r^our  husband :  I  hasten  with  the  raost  sincere  satisfac- 
ion  to  inform  you  of  this  special- favour  on  the  part  of 
)ur  most  gracious  Sovereign,  that  you  may  sei  off  as  .^oon 
IS  you  thmk  proper.  An  express  has  been  sent  to  your 
lusband,  in  order  that  he  may  be  at  Petersburg  on  your 
arrival,  or  soon  after  you.  1  shall  with  pleasure  take^ 
^pon  myself  to  provide  you  with  a  suitable  lodging. 

"  -^Vccept,  Madam,  the  as-urance  of  my  sincere  joy 
it  this  event,  and  the  perfect  esteem  v/ith  which  I  have' 
he  iionoar  lo  be  your  devoted  humble  servant, 

De  Paklen/' 

Petersburg,  loJuncy  ISOO. 


200 


The  accounts  which  mv  friends  gave  me  of  the  eflfl 

which  this  letter  produced  on  my  wife,  affected  me 
tremely.    Her  joj  had  the  appearance  oTmadness : 
who  had  scarcely  strength  enough  to  move  from  ^| 
chair  to  another,  leaped  about  the  room  like  a  fa^H 
and  v.-as  unable  to  stand  still.    For  a  long  time  she 
running  here  and  there,  looking  for  a  thousand  thifl 
that  she  thought  she  wanted,  and  laughed  and  weptB 
the  same  moment.    She  ga^-e  the  Courier  all  the  monev 
which  she  had  in  her  possession.    She  would  instan^ 
have  prepared  for  the  journey,  wished  to  set  out  tlic 
next  day,  and  declared  that  she  should  consider  everjf 
one  as  her  enemy  who  counteracted  her  intentions. 

Fortunately  her  physician.  Doctor  Bluhm,  was  not 
fearful  of  incurring  her  displeasure  :  he  was  able  to  make 
her  feel  that  her  high  oirits  were  not  symptoms  o; 
strength,  and  she  consoled  to  wait  a  few  days  longer. 

In  the  meanwhile  a  messenger  from  the  Governor  oi 
Reval,  who  lived  in  the  country,  arrived.  The  Court- 
advocate  had  communicated  the  same  information  to  him. 
with  InstFUCtlons  to  furnish  Madame  de  Kotzebue  witl 
every  thing  necessary  for  her  journey,  and  to  make  z 
report  of  the  amount.  He  likewise  mentioned  that  the 
military  Governor  of  Petersburg  had  received  orders  tc 
provide  a  suitable  lodging  for  my  wife  and  me. 

Madame  de  Kotzebue  felt  herself  under  the  same  em* 
barrassment,  relative  to  the  Emperor's  olfer  to  bear  th« 
expense  of  the  journey,  which  I  had  suffered  some  week? 
after  at  Tobolsk.  Unwiihng  to  ask  much,  at  the  samel 
time  fearful  of  incurring  the  imputation  of  arrogance 
should  she  accept  nothing,  she  consulted  her  friends,  ami 
confined  herself  to  the  mere  travelling  expenses  to  Peters< 
burg,  which  were  immediately  paid  her. 

The  manner  in  which  the  greater  number  of  the  ln«' 
liabitants  of  Reval  acted  on  this  occasion,  is  entitled  tc 
my  warmest  gratitude.  In  halt"  an  hour  the  news  hac 
spread  over  the  whole  city.  It  was  repeated  in  th( 
streets :  people  were  stopped  in  their  carriages  to  be  in 
formed  of'it,  and  they,  in  theii^turn,  slopped  every  acfjuaint 
ance  they  met  to  impart  it  to  them.  "  Have  you  heard  ih< 


201 


cwsr"  cried  onC;,  when  he  saw  a  friend  at  a  clislancr. 
Yes,  I  have  heard  it/*  was  tiie  common  reply.  It  was 
jot  my  friends  alone  that  exulted;  every  lieart  partook 
|i  the  general  satisfaction  of  the  day,  and  the  good  town 
if  Reval  proved  itself  to  be  peopled  with  benevolent 
i»eings. 

I  On  the  fourth  day  my  wife  was  able  to  undertake  her 
Diirney:  she  travelled  the  whole  hundred  leagues  from 
leval  to  Petersburg  v/ithout  stopping  to  sleep,  in  the 
ope  of  finding  me  there;  a  hope  vdilch,  in  fact.  Count 
e  Pahlen's  letter  had  encouraged.  The  good  wislies 
f  the  Count  could  alone  have  suggested  such  an  idea, 
>r  the  Courier  who  had  been  dispatched  to  Siberia,  not 
aving  set  off  before  the  15th  of  June,  it  was  impossible 
hat  J  could  arrive  at  Petersburg  in  less  than  seven  weeks 
rem  that  time;  and  even  to  effect  this,  it  was  necessa- 
y  to  travel,  as  in  fact  I  did,  faster  than  the  mail ;  my 
vife  therefore  arrived  long  before  me,  and  went  to  an 
lotel,  as  the  lodging  intended  for  us  was  not  yet  fitted 
ip;  nor  was  it  indeed  ever  completed,  owing  to  an  ex- 
ess  of  delicacy  on  her  part,  which  preveiited  her  from 
aking  any  steps  about  it. 

I  should  not  mention  this  circumstance,  if  it  had  not 
iirnished  me  with  anew  occasion  of  discovering  the  no- 
lle conduct  of  my  friend  Graumann.  Being  aware  that 
he  expenses  of  an  hotel,  for  a  large  family,  were  hea- 
ier  tRm  my  wife,  in  her  present  situation,  could  well 
•ear,  he  hired  apartments  in  the  most  secret  manner, 
itted  up  the  rooms  in  the  best  style,  and  one  day  beg- 
ged Madame  de  Kotzebue  to  accompany  him  to  them, 
l^ovv  great  was  lier  surprise,  when  on  entering  she 
Ibund  herself  in  an  elegant  and  commodious  set  of  well- 
jiirnished  apartments  ;  a  kitchen  provided  with  every 
:ulinary  utensil;  linen,  china,  cupboards  stored  with 
ugar,  tea,  cotfee,  wax  candles, &c.  in  great  abundance; 
!ven  silver  plate  was  not  forgotten;  so  that  she  felt  her- 
elf  suddenly  transported  into  a  new  establishment,  v/ith- 
•ut  being  able  to  learn  from  the  generous  man,  whose 
nagi'.-  wand  had  created  it,  what  sum  he  had  Gonsecrat- 
>d  to  tliis  act  of  friendship! 


Such  was  the  account  I  received  from  Madame  jSi 
Kotzebue,  and  the  hours  gaily  danced  around  me 
the  dear  companion  of  my  life,  who  had  just  been  resti 
ed  to  my  arms.  The  walls  which  inclosed  us,  thm 
walls  which  had  echoed  to  the  ^plahits  of  so  manyunfS 
tunate  people,  now  resounded  with  expressions  of  m\ 
purest  rapture,  the  tcnderest  love,  and  the  most  grat« 
friendship.  1 

Nothing  indeed  was  wanting  to  render  this  scene  tl 
happiness  com.pieat,  but  t'le  presence  of  my  childrer 
Their  mother  hastened  to  fetch  them ;  they  had  waito 
for  this  moment  with  the  most  impetuous  eagerness  :  the 
arrived;  I  saw  them  get  out  of  the  carriage;  I  hear 
their  little  footsteps  upon  the  staircase  ;  I  felt  them  han 
round  mv  neck — A  man  must  be  a  father  to  conceiv 
what  I  felt. 

It  was  noon,  and  later  than  noon,  without  our  bavin 
perceived  it.  The  express  had  not  returned  from  Gat; 
china,  and  I  had  not  noticed  the  delay,  for  had  I  not  ij 
my  little  chamber,  or,  as  it  really  was,  my  prison,  a| 
that  my  heart  desired  ? 

An  event,  which  took  place  towards  the  evening,  e: 
cited  in  us  the  tenderest  emotions,  and  even  added  i. 
our  joy : — The  Russian  merchant,  the  companion  of  mi 
journey,  had  cherished  hopes  of  obtaining,  on  his  arrivii 
at  Moscow,  some  account  of  his  wife  and  daughter;  wil 
this  design  he  had  called  on  one  of  his  relations  ther 
and  returned  overwhelmed  with  grief  Rnd  despair,  "i 
was  so  joyful,'*  said  he,  with  the  most  affecting  sin. 
plicity,  but  God  has  turned  my  joy  into  sorrow ;  irj 
wife  and  my  daughter  are  dead From  that  momei 
he  mentioned  tlie  subject  no  more,  and  during  the  re 
of  the  journev  he  scarcely  uttered  a  word.  I  often  sa 
him  weeping  in  his  kibick,  till  the  tears  trickled  do^ 
his  grey  beard.  On  our  arrival  at  Petersburg,  helodg€ 
in  the  same  room  w^th  me.  When  my  wife  came,  i 
was  seated  in  a  corner  of  the  room,  lost  in  silent  aflfln 
tion,  and  witnessed  our  felicity  without  uttering  a  5y 
lable,  while  the  deeneit  sorrow  was  imprinteci  on  li 
liountenance. 


203 

II  Towards  evening  his  Courier,  Sukin,  suddenly  en- 
^  the  room  ;  hvan  Semenovjitsch"  cried  he,  "  your 
and  daughter  are  alive,  and  here  tliey  are  !"  The 
id  man  awoke  as  from  a  dream,  and,  starting  from  his 
?at,  he  staggered  to  the  door,  and  his  w^ifc  and  child 
a-!icd  into  his  arms.  This  was  an  affecting  repetition 
F  tJie  scene  we  had  ourselves  just  been  acting  ;  and 
,Iiat  tended  to  increase  the  interest  of  the  meeting,  was 
,c  long  duration  of  their  absence.  He  had  been  torn 
oin  his  wife  when  she  was  in  the  prime  of  youth  and 
caiity  :  he  found  her  less  blooming,  but  she  was  still  in 
ood  health.  His  daughter,  who  v^'as  only  eight  years  old 
.  Ik  11  he  left  her,  was  now  a  fine  girl  of  sixteen.  He  could 
.Q!  cely  believe  his  eyes,  or  give  credit  to  his  own  hap- 
iness:  He  took  the  candle,  from  time  to  time,  and  ex- 
iiiiiied  her  in  every  point  of  view :  his  features  bright- 
nod  up,  and  the  tears  stole  apace  down  his  cheeks.  An 
larticulate  sound  of  joy  and  surprise  was  all  he  v/.as 
bli'  to  utter. 

Thus  passed  away  the  dav,  and  night  now  approach- 
ii;,  r  ventured  to  ask  M.  T'uchs  to  allow  me  to  go  to 
\  own  lodgings,  on  the  promise  of  returning  the  next 
ing.    He  had  the  goodness  to  grant  my  request, 
iiiade  himself  respoj-isible  for  this  permission.  With 
art  overflowing  with  delight  and  gratitude,  I  now 
■i  ed  the  abode  which  love  and  friendship  had  vied 
I  her  in  pienaring,  and  my  faithful  servants  received 
0  witli  transports  of  joy. 

Scarcely  had  I  been  an  hour  at  home,  when  a  note 
om  Pvl.  Fuchs  came  to  inform  me  the  order  was  arrived 
oin  Gatschina,  and  that  1  was  at  liberty  :  I  then  retired 
|)  rest;  and  it  was  now,  for  the  first  timefor four racnths 
ast,  that  I  freely  enjoyed  that  blessing. 

The  next  morning  1  waited  on  Count  de  Pahlen^  agree- 
^ly  to  my  duty  :  But  duty  alone  did  not  lead  me  to  his 
Mise,  he  was  entitled  to  my  gratitude  ;  for  in  the  midst 
'his  innumerable  avocations,  he  had  found  time  to  an- 
ounce  my  enlargement,  not  only  to  Madame  de  Kot- 
i  bbue,  but  likewise  in  the  most  obliging  terms  to  my 
jed  roother.    The  great  crowd  with  which  he  was  al- 


1 

iidt| 
)f  ai 

I 

dil' 


ways  surrounded,  prevented  me  from  saying  any 
bc)  ond  w  hat  the  ibrmality  of  custom  prescrilDod,  and  t" 
which  he  repHed  Hkewise  in  the  same  style. 

On  the  13th  of  August  1  received  the  copy  of  ai 
ukase,  by  wliich  the  Emperor  bestowed  on  me,  fre 
service,  the  estate  of  Worrokuil,  situated  in  Liv' 
and  belonging  to  the  Crown.  This  estate,  which 
tain>  four  hundred  souls,  and  brings  me  in  four  thou 
roubles  a  year  upon  lease,  together  with  a  commodi 
mansion-house,  and  advantages  of  various  kinds,  was 
gift  truly  Imperial,  and  alfords  the  most  unequivocal  pra 
of  my  innocence. 

I  could  huve  wished,  tlie  sooner  to  forget  the  whol 
»lream  of  my  misfortunes,  to  have  returned  to  German) 
but  my  friends  advised  me,  tor  very  good  reasons,  m 
to  a^k  the  Emperor's  permission.  1  followed  their  coui 
scl,  as  they  knew  the  Monarch  better  than  I,  and  coi 
tented  myself  with  just  hinting  in  my  letter  of  thank 
that  1  was  on  the  point  of  retiring  into  the  country,  tl 
better  to  enjoy  his  Majesty's  gracious  benediction. 

My  letter  produced  an  effect  which  I  liad  noiie  xpec 
ed.  On  the  very  next  mornlr.g  I  rece'ved  the  foUowir 
note  from  M.  Briskorn,  the  Emtjeror's  secretary : 

"  On  beginning  to  read  your  letter  to  his  Imperi 
Majesty,  I  had  the  pleasure  to  hear  him  order  me  to  dra 
np  ,"n  ukase  which  appoints  you  manager  of  the  comp 
ny  of  German  comedians,  wi'Ji  the  titl^of  Aulic  Cou, 
seller,  together  with  a  salary  of  twelve  hundred  rouble 
When  I  came  to  the  passage  in  which  vou  speak  of  yOi 
design  to  retire  into  the  country,  his  Majesty  deigned 
order  me  to  pro]>ose  your  acceptance  of  the  above-me 
tioned  place.  I  therefore  acquit  myself  of  this  dut 
and,  begging  you  to  inform  me,  as  soon  as  possible,  wh 
Lher  it  be  your  intention  to  accent  the  offer  of  our  m( 
gracious  Monarch,  I  remain.  Sir,  with  particular  cc 
sideration,.  Sec.  8cc.  Briskqrn." 

"  P.  S.  In  quality  of  manager,  you  will  act  under  t 
immediate  orders  of  Count  Narisckin,  grand  marshal 
lliC  court.*'  .' 

My  embarrassment  on  the  reciept  of  this  letter  \\ 
cqi.al  to  n)y  terror.    I  was  again  to  undertake  tlvj 


205 

iigement  of  a  play-house — I,  wlio  at  Vienna,  notvvith- 
itanding  the  shigular  kindness  of  Baron  Braun,  had  re- 
j'used  longer  to  continue  in  so  thankless  an  employment, 
imd  who  had  so  often  vowed  to  my  wife,  and  to  niy- 
elf,  to  tread  no  more  a  path  of  (horns,  deceitiully  strewed 
vith  roses — I,  who  knew  by  sorrowful  experience,  that 
ijhe  best  performers  are  often  the  most  immoral  and  un- 
iractable  of  men ;  that  a  single  word  of  disapprobation 
'enders  the  actor  to  whom  we  venture  to  A'.  hisper  it,  our 
Qost  implacable  enemy,  though  he  had  asked  our  judg- 
tient  with  apparent  frankness  and  modesty — I,  w^ho 
I  new  that  the  greater  j^art  of  dramatic  performers,  even 
jmong  the  most  distinguished,  love  not  the  art  bat  the 
\rtUt;  that  they  are  delighted  with  apiece  composed 
f  scenic  caricatures  and  grotesque  figures,  provided 
leir  own  dear  persons  appear  with  eclat  therein — but 
I'here  is  my  painful  experience  of  twenty  years  now 

Iirrying  me  ?  I  entreat  the  reader^s  pardon  for  this  di- 
ression,  and  beg  he  will  just  allow  me  to  parody  the 
ords  of  Shakspeare ; 

*'  Vanity,  thy  name's  a  player!" 

With  such  a  disposition,  together  with  sad  experience 
>llected  from  so  many  theatres,  I  vvas  now  to  put  my- 
If  at  the  head  of  a  Company  which  one  Mire  liad  col- 
Dted  from  several  strolling  parties,  and  improved  by 
e  addition  of  a  few  good  actors  brought  from  Germa- 
but  which,  after  all,  was  far  from  bemg  complete, 
itherto  a  Society  of  Merchants  had  supported  the  Com- 
ny  by  subscription,  but  it  vvas  now  in  a  very  embar- 
?sed  situation,  and  upon  the  point  of  breaking  up. — 
'le  Emperor,  on  the  representation  of  Count  de  Pah- 
1,  determined  to  take  them  into  his  own  service ;  un- 
'tunately  the  circumstance  of  my  return  coincided  with 

plan,  and  his  Majesty  naturally  enough  v\  ished  to 
irge  me  with  the  management  of  it.    Doubtless  there  ' 
s  much  goodness  on  his  part,  and  a  wish  to  oblige 

in  this  business,  which  further  induced  me  not  to 
ise  the  favour  which  he  conceived  he  was  offering 


S 


!206 

I  endeavoured,  however,  in  my  answer,  with  all  the 
art  I  was  master  of,  to  extricate  myself  from  this  un- 
pleasant affair;  and  displayed,  in  colours  equally  strong, 
my  boundless  gratitude,  and  invincible  aversion  to  such 
an  office.    But  all  was  in  vain;  instead  of  an  answer 
came  the  copy  of  three  ukases ;  the  first  of  which,  ad- 
dressed to  the  Grand-Marshal  of  the  Court,  appointed 
me  manager  of  the  German  Theatre  ;  the  .second  named 
me  Aulic  Counsellor;  and  the  third  secured  my  saiarv 
on  the  Emperor's  privy  purse.    To  this  salary,  whici 
othei"wise  might  appear  but  small,  was  added  eighteer 
hundred  roubles,  charged  on  the  treasury  of  the  theatre 
for  the  expense  of  a  carriage ;  and  I  was  besides  allow 
ed  fire  and  candles,  with  a  large  and  commodious  lodg 
ing.    As  to  the  pecuniary  part  of  the  business,  the  Em 
peror  had  done  all,  and  more  than  I  could  have  hopi 
ed  from  him ;  and,  in  that  respect,  my  gratitude  waf 
extreme.    I  had,  including  the  produce  of  my  estate: 
an  annual  income  of  at  least  nine  thousand  roubles,  b< 
^  sides  the  receipts  of  the  second  representation  of  my  nc 
pieces,  which  added  a  few  thousand  roubles  more  t 
my  revenue.*    But  what  occasion  had  I  for  tliis  addi 
tional  fortune  ?  Can  repose,  tranquillity,  or  health,  li 
purchased  w^ith^old?  Did  I  not  possess  at  Weimar,  i 
Jena,  a  dwelling  less  splendid  indeed,  but  more  checi 
ful  ?  an  income  less  considerable,  but  yet  sufficient  i 
every  purpose  of  happiness  ?  Though  I  lived  there  m\ 
der  a^Prince  less  powerful,  yet  did  I  not  live  free  frci 
every  apprehension  of  danger  r  In  fine  (and  what  alof 
is  worth  all  the  rest)  had  I  not  a  good  and  tender  motf* 
there  ?  a  mother  to  whom  I  owed  the  culture  of  if 
mind;  and  who  was  waiting  for  my  return  with  li 
most  ardent  impatience,  and  whom  it  was  my  duty; 
aid  to  bear  the  increasing  burden  of  age.  \ 
At  the  same  time,  1  received  from  the  Secret  Ini 
sition  all  the  papers  which  had  been  taken  from  iTO 

*  I  lately  read  in  the  Gazette  fur  die  elegante  Welt,  that!, 
sixteen  benefit  nights  during  my  residence  at  Perersburg.  ' 
truth  is,  that  I  had  no  more  than  six,  which  produced  mej| 
three  thousand  roubles. 


1 1  207 

!  the  frontiers :  not  a  sheet  was  wanting ;  and  I  shall  here 
mention  a  very  remarkable  circumstance  attending  them. 

From  the  first  moment  of  my  arrest  to  the  end  ot  my 
exile,  I  had  thought  there  was  not  a  passage  to  be  found 
among  all  my  papers,  that  could  in  any  respect  authorize 
the  Government  to  act  as  it  had  done  towards  me,  yet 
there  was  one  single  line,  which,  had  it  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  Emperor,  would  have  perhaps  aggra- 
vated my  captivity,  and  certainly  prolonged  it.  This 
line  was  in  the  journal  I  had  kept  at  Vienna.  I  had 
been  on  my  arrival,  and  before  I  was  known  there,  sus- 
pected of  Jacobinism.  Soon  after  my  new  vocation,  I 
mentioned  my  fears  on  this  head  to  Baron  de  Braun. — 
"  Make  yourself  easy,"  said  he,  '*  if  you  are  conscious 
of  your  innocence;  the  Emperor  is  just,  and  condemns 
no  one  without  the  most  strict  and  impartial  examina- 
lion."  On  inserting  these  words,  I  added  the  following 
reflection — I  am  now  at  ease,  I  have  gained  much  : 

Lhe  E  P  seldom  thinks  it  ivorth  his  iihile  to  ex- 

%mine  affairs." 

This  unfortunate  remark,  these  words,  which  in  truth 
vvere  harsh  and  offensive,  had  entirely  escaped  my 
-nemory ;  and  how  great  ^as  my  tremor,  when  on  turn- 
ng  over  my  papers  they  caught  my  eye !  but,  at  the 
;ame  time,  how  great  was  my  joy,  and  what  were  the 
amotions  I  felt,  on  observing  that  some  generous  hand 
lad  blotted  the  line  with  so  much  care,  that  it  was  not 
vithout  great  difficulty  I  could  at  first  guess  at  the  tenor 
)f  it!  Here  then  is  apxoof,  that  under  all  the  terror 
vhich  the  Secret  Inquisition  in  general  created,  the  mem- 
3ers  of  whom  it  was  composed  merely  obeyed  the  severe 
)rders  enjoined  them ;  and,  whenever  they  had  an  op- 
)ortunity,  yielded  to  the  better  feelings  of  their  own 
learts.  This  eulogy,  in  particular,  is  justly  due  to  M. 
VlakarofF,  Counsellor  of  State,  whose  tears  have  often 
ningled  with  those  of  the  unfortunate ;  and  whose  heart 
!iasV)ften  bled  when  he  has  been  obliged  to  deliver  them 
ip  into  the  hands  of  their  executioners.  I  know  not 
vhether  it  was  this  gentleman,  or  M.  Fuchs,  or  a  third 
»erson,  that  was  charged  with  the  examination  of  my 


papers ;  havinor  in  vain  endeavoured  to  obtain  any  U 
formation  respecting  it,  although  I  have  done  every  thh^ 
in  my  power  to  discover  it.  I  must,  therefore,  satisfy 
myself  wiili  declaring  my  gratitude  to  my  unknowni 
benefactor  in  the  lace  of  the  world,  and  before  the  throne 
of  Heaven.  How  fortunate  to  have  fallen  into  such 
hands !  This  single  line  might  have  ruined  me  forever! 

I  likewise  observed  several  trifling  passages  among  i 
my  papers  which  had  been  underlined  with  a  pencil,  I 
but  none  of  them  could  have  done  me  any  injury;  thcj 
consisted  only  in  satirical  remarks,  anecdotes,  incident: 
I  wished  to  remember  ;  and  to  which  I  had  added  som(  i 
reflections. 

My  Gustavus  Vasa  was  returned  me  in  a  cover,  wit! 
orders  not  to  make  any  use  of  it.  A  single  passage  hac 
condemned  this  unfortunate  piece : 

"  Wliene'er  a  Monarch's  voice  comraands  a  crime, 
A  thousand  arms  are  rais'd  to  strike  the  blow." 

I  flatter  myself  that  the  reader  will  be  anxious  to  lean 
to  what  circumstance  I  am  indebted  for  my  liberty.  H< 
already  knows  it  could  not  have  been  in  consequence  o 
the  memorial  transmitted  from  Tobolsk,  as  the  Couriel 
who  brought  the  ukase  which  enlarged  me,  met  thti 
bearer  of  my  memorial  near  Casan.  I  shall,  therefore 
relate  all  the  information  which  I  have  been  able  to  col 
lect  on  that  subject. 

I  was  assured,  that  the  inhuman  Court  Advocate  sul 
fered  my  papers  to  lie  in  a  corner  of  his  office  for  th-l 
apace  of'^ a^vhole  month,  v^^ithout  paying  the  least  regar 
to  the  situation  of  the  unhappy  man  who,  in  consequenc 
of  auch  neglect,  was  pining  in  exile.  The  Emperc 
himself  at  length  inquired  into  the  contents  of  my  pi 
pers,  and  the  proofs  which  they  afforded  of  my  innc 
cence,  was  doubtless  one  cause  of  his  Majesty's  chang 
of  disposition  towards  me ;  yet  I  doubt  whether  my  ir 
nocence  alone  v/ould  have  effected  my  deliverance r'f( 
in  general  it  is  much  easier  for  the  rulers  of  the  earth  t 
persevere  in  the  injustice  they  have  once  commitiec 
than  to  acknowledge  and  repair  it.    The  Emperor  Fs  j 


209 


md  some  other  Sovereigns,  are,  however,  honourable 
exceptions  from  this  charge.  My  good  fortune  gave  birth 
0  another  circumstance,  which  could  never  have  hap- 
pened more  a  propos. 

I  have  already  spoken  of  a  little  piece,  entitled  The 
Emperor's  Head  Coachman,  which  I  had  written  with  a 
(ind  of  enthusiasm,  some  years  ago,  to  celebrate  a  ge- 
lerous  action  of  Paul  I.  without  dreaming  it  would  ever 
lave  any  influence  on  my  own  welfare.  This  piece  had 
ust  been  translated  into  the  Russian  language,  by  a 
toung  man  of  the  name  of  Krasnoholski ;  who,  being 
iesirous  of  dedicating  it  to  the  Emperor  himself,  had  ap- 
plied to  several  persons  of  consequence,  who  dissuaded 
jim  from  his  intention,  or  at  all  events  advised  the  omis- 
;ion  of  the  name  of  Kotzebue  in  the  title-page,  since  that 
)dious  name  was  sufficient  to  ruin  every  thing.  The 
Russian  and  German  play-houses  had  long  since  discon- 
inued  the  insertion  of  my  name  in  the  bills  of  such  of  my 
nieces  as  were  represented. 

The  honest  youth  was  above  having  recourse  to  pla- 
giary. The  piece  is  his,''  said  he,  "  I  am  but  his 
ranslator:  I  will  not  deck  myself  in  borrowed  plumes; 
ind  I  shall  let  his  name  remain  at  the  head  of  tlie  work.*^ 

ruling,  however,  insurmountable  difficulties  in  having 
lis  translation  presented  in  this  form  to  the  Emperor,  he 
letermined  to  transmit  it  by  the  post. 

The  reception  of  this  piece  made  a  singular  impression 
)n  the  mind  of  the  Monarch :  he  perused  it,  and  it  af- 
ecled  and  pleased  him.  He  ordered  a  valuable  ring  to 
je  given  to  the  translator,  and  at  the  same  time  forbad 
he  printing  of  the  manuscript.  Some  hours  after  this, 
le  asked  for  it  again,  re-perused  it,  declared  that  he 
v\ould  allow  it  to  be  printed,  on  condition  of  certain 
passages  being  omitted;  and  among  others,  which  is 
lardly  credible,  the  following  one  :  My  Emperor  saluted 
ne;  he  salutes  all  worthy  people.  In  the  course  of  the 
day  he  asked  for  the  piece  a  third  time,  read  it  over, 
md  then  allowed  it  to  be  printed  without  any  alterations 
it  all.  At  the  same  time  lie  declared,  he  had  done  me 
vrong;  that  he  owed  me  reparation^  and  that  he  thought 
S  a 


/;  incumtefit  on  him  to  make  me  a  present  equal  to  t)t0 
conferred  on  his  father's  coachman  *  That  very  momefll 
he  dispatched  a  Coufier  to  Siberia.  ^ 

Soon  after  this  my  memorial  arrived :  the  Emper<l|| 
notwithstanding  its  length,  read  it  twice  over  frohi  be»l 
ginning  to  end,  and  being  affected  at  its  contents,  he 
gave  instant  orders  to  tlie  Governor  ot  Estonia  to  lookt 
out  for  some  valuable  estate  belonging  to  the  Crown, 
and  situated  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Friedenthal.  He 
was  not  satisfied  with  merely  making  me  the  present 
he  would  also  confer  it  in  a  manner  likely  to  prove  the; 
most  agreeable  to  me;  and  the  order  did  as  much  credit 
to  his  head  as  to  his  heart.  In  all  the  neighbourhood 
of  Friedenthal  there  was  not  another  estate  of  so  much 
value  as  that  intended  for  me. 

Such  is  the  substance  of  all  the  information  I  havf 
been  able  to  procure  relative  to  my  restoration  to  liber 
ty.  Of  my  arrest  and  exile  I  am  far  I'rom  being  even  s( 
well  informed,  and  I  doubt  whether  the  hand  of  tim< 
itself  will  be  able  to  withdraw  the  veil  of  mystery  whicl 
hangs  6ver  that  event. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  acts  of  benevolence  on  th« 
part  of  (he  Monarch,  terror  had  laid  such  fast  hold  oi 
my  mind,  that  I  could  never  see  a  Senate  Courier  o 
Chasseur  pass  by  me,  without  experiencing  the  mos 
violent  trepidation ;  nor  did  I  ever  set  out  for  Galschina 
without  providing  myself  with  a  considerable  sum  of  mc 
ney,  anrl  holding  myself  in  readiness  lor  a  second  joui 
ney  to  Siberia.  i 

On  the  9th  of  October  I  received,  for  the  first  tim€ 
an  order  to  repair  to  Gatschina.  It  was  scarcely  da) 
break  when  I  set  off:  the  express  had  been  sent  in  th| 
night,  and  I  trembled  as  I  took  leave  of  my  wife.  Froi| 
the  haste  with  which  this  order  was  communicated, 
was  natural  to  imagine  that  something  of  the  utmost  in 
portance  had  given  birth  to  it.  On  my  arrival,  1  wi 
simj.ly  informed  of  the  Emperor's  orders,  that  I  must  h 
very  particular  in  the  choice  of  my  dramatic  subject 


Twenty  thousand  roubles. 


!md  in  the  omission  of  all  suspicious  passages.  He  had, 
jt  seems,  the  day  before,  talked  of  the  necessity  of  es- 
j^ablishing  a  Censorship,  and  had  intended  me  to  fill  that 
i^ffice.  It  was  easy  to  foresee,  that  sooner  or  later  this 
iiask  would  prove  a  shoal  upon  which  my  frail  bark,  so 
jrecently  saved  from  destruction,  would  finally  be  wreck- 
izd.  1  urged  the  propriety  of  appointing  some  other 
person  to  that  office,  allegmg  that  an  author  could  not 
be  the  impartial  censor  ot  his  own  works ;  that  self-love 
would  render  him  blind,  and  that,  without  knowing  it, 
he  would  often  act  contrary  to  the  will  of  his  Sovereign. 
|In  short,  I  endeavoured  strenuously  to  evade  this  inten- 
|tion  of  the  Emperor,  and  at  length  I  succeeded;  my  scru- 
ples were  even  applauded  by  the  Monarch,  and  he  was 
ipleased  to  appoint  Aulic  Counsellor  Adelung  to  -that  of- 
tfice,  a  learned  man,  whose  "  Monuments  of  German 
Poetry,"  collected  with  both  care  and  dHigence,  have 
rendered  him  celebrated  and  esteemed  in  Germany. 

It  is  difficult  to  form  an  idea  of  the  scrupulousness 
which  M.  Adelung  and  myself  were  obliged  to  exert  in 
the  execution  of  this  painlul  office ;  it  will  be  sufficient 
to  name  a  few  instances,  to  show  how  often  I  must  have 
been  overwhelmed  with  disgust,  and  what  aversion  I 
must  have  entertained  for  the  vocation  which  had  been 
imposed  upon  me. 

The  word  Republic  was  not  allowed  to  be  pronounced 
in  my  play  of  Octaiia ;  nor  did  Antony  dare  to  say, 

"  Die  hke  a  Roman,  y;ee /" 

In  the  Epigram  it  was  necessary  to  change  the  word 
Emperor  of  Japan  into  M'uster  of  that  island.    It  was 
f  likewise  necessary  to  strike  outfhe  dangerous  assertions, 
*  ihdit  Caviar  vame  from  Russia,  and  that  Russia  was  a 
■ant  countri/.    The  Counsellor-of  the  Chamber  was 
allowed  to  think  himself  a  good  patriot,  m  having 
i-ed  to  marry  a  foreigner;  neither  was  it  allowed  to  Ih: 
aid,  that  a  valet  c&uld  be  an  insolent  felloiu.  We 
ck  out  the  passage  which  observes,  that  his  High- 
■  L  ,0  is  neither  blind  or  sick ;  the  princess  was  not  permit- 
j^d  to  have  a  greyhound,  nor  the  Counsellor  to  tickle  the 


212 


dog  behind  its  ears ;  neither  were  the  pages  allowedj 
muffle'up  the  Counsellor.  fl 

In  Tlie  Tivo  Klingshergs,  the  Russian  Prince,  of  whil 
Madame  Wanschel  speaks  cursorily,  was  transformed  il 
a  great  foreign  nobleman ;  and  instead  of  a  PoUsh  cfl 
this  same  Madame  Wanschel  was  made  to  vvearan//S 
garian  one.  The  word  fortress  was  changed  to  pri^^ 
courtier  was  changed  to  flatterer  (which  by  the  b)|l 
not  very  flattering  to  courtiers)  and  instead  of  my 
the  minister,  was  inserted  my  all-poiverful  uncle. 
exclamation  of  young  Klingsberg,  after  having  seen  fl' 
aunt  and  Amelia,  at  last  they  ivill  be  princesses !  appear- 
ed offensive,  and  was  therefore  struck  out. 

In  the  Abbe  de  VEpee,  citizens  were  not  allowed  b 
live  at-  Toulouse.  Franval  durst  not  say,  tvo  to  mj 
native  country ;  but  ivo  to  my  country,  because  an  ukase 
had  positively  forbidden  the  Russians  to  have  a  nativ< 
country.  The  Abb^  de  TEp^e,  who,  as  it  is  known 
arrives  from  Paris,  was  not  allowed  to  come  fi-om  thence 
nor  durst  he  make  any  mention  of  the  Lyceum  in  tha 
city,  nor  of  France. 

The  physical  knoivledge  of  Bujfon;  the  science-  oi 
d'Alembert ;  the  sensibility  of  Rousseau ;  the  ivit  of  Voltair] 
were  all  most  unmercifully  efl?aced  by  a  single  stroke  o 
the  pen. 

In  the  piece/ entitled  Tlie' Secretary,  the  part  of  the  com 
juror  was  struck  out.  i 

These  instances,  which  I  have  quoted  at  random,  h\ 
order  to  avoid  entering  too  much  into  detail,  are  sufficienl 
to  give  an  idea  of  the  extreme  severity  which  the  Censof 
in  spite  of  himself,  was  obliged  to  exert  in  theexecutioj 
of  his  office.  How  often  have  I  been  amused  fbrmerl; 
at  the  stupidity  of  the  Censor  at  Riga,  who,  for  instance,  ii 
my  play  entitled  The  Reconciliation,  effaced  the  followin)} 
words,  which  are  put  into  the  mouth  of  the  shoemaker 
/  zvill  go  to  Russia,  zvfiere,  they  say,  it  is  colder  than  it  i\ 
here ;  (he  felt  himself  conSiuning%ith  the  flames  or'  hope! 
less  love)  and  substituted  tiiese  in.their  stead ;  /  wll  go  t\ 
Russia,  zuhere  none  but  good  people  are  to  be  found. 
little  thought  in  those  times,  that  one  day/t?ar  wouid^ 


I 

i  213 

[le  same  thing  at  Petersbrug  which  stupidity,  in  the 
jerson  oF  the  conceite^  Mr.  Tumanski,  had  clone  at 
|j'ga. 

!  If  however  the  Emperor  had  cast  hLs  eyes  upon  ma- 
;y  of  the  passages  which  were  changed,  and  had  asked 
le  cause  of  such  alterations,  he  would,  I  must  confess, 
ave  thrown  us  into  no  small  embarrassment.  I  shall 
jiention  two  passages  for  instance,  from  Octavia :  It  is 
lere  said, 

"  And  to  a  cook,  who  chanc'd  to  hit  his  taste, 
"  He'd  give  a  house  he  could  not  call  his  own." 

j  "  What !"  the  Emperor  might  have  said,     have  I 
\me  any  thing  of  the  kind  ?  and  if  I  have  not,  why  do 
ou  consider  the  passage  as  offensive  V*  ♦ 
Again, 

"  And  Charmlon  knows,  and  Marion  knows  it  too, 
"  That  Antony  doth  many  a  master  own." 

"  What !"  might  the  Emperor  have  said,  "  do  you 
bink  I  am  governed  by  chambermaids  and  favourites  ? 
|nd  if  you  do  not  think  so,  why  have  you  struck  out 
his  historical  trait?" 

From  these  examples,  and  a  thousand  more  that  might 
le  produced,  it  may  be  seen  how  dangerous  is  the  bu- 
iness  of  a  Censor  to  the  man  who  exercises  it,  and  how 
;mbarrassing  to  the  audior  upon  whom  it  is  exercised, 
A.  Adelung,  with  the  best  disposition  in  the  world, 
:ould  not  render  this  task  less  disgusting  either  to  me  or 
0  himself. 

Besides  this  constraint,,  a  thousand  other  unpleasant 
:ircum?tances  contributed  to  disgust  me  with  my  situa- 
ion.  I  do,  not  here  speak  of  the  eternal  quarrels  of  the 
)erfbrmers ;  their  reluctance,  their  boundless  self-love  ; 
hey  are  every  where  the  same.  A  more  powerful  ob- 
■tacle,  which  impeded  the  advancement  of  the  German 
hcatre,  was  the  jealousy  of  the  French  company,  or 
athcr  the  jealousy  of  Madame  Chevalier,  who  was  at 
heir  head,  or,  in  other  words,  who  was  the  soul  of  them. 
Vot  that  this  lady  was  apprehensive  that  the  German 


214  m 

drama  would  eclipse  the  talents  of  the  French  c(fl 
dians ;  she  was  too  well  aware  of  the  mediocrity  ofS 
company,  and  the  predeliction  of  Russians  for  efl 
thing  that  is  Gallic,  to  be  at  ail  alarmed  with  sfl 
idle  fears;  but  she  was  determined  to  allow  no  one™ 
sides  herself  to  amuse  the  Emperor.    She  had  alread 
effected  the  annihilation  of  the  Italian  and  Russian  come 
dians  of  the  theatres  of  Gatschina  and  the  Hermitage 
and  she  rarely  condescended  to  allow  the  French  tragi 
Muse  to  make  her  appearance  in  the  person  of  Madam' 
de  Valville.    It  was  indeed  possible  that  the  Germai 
comedians,  merely  from  novelty,  might  excite  the  at 
tention  and  gain  the  approbation  of  the  Monarch,  ii 
which  case  Madame  Chevalier  would  have  appear© 
less  frequently  on  the  stage  before  him ;  a  circumstana' 
which  she,  not  at  all  approving,  determined  to  pre! 
vent. 

Four  times  the  Emperor  had  commanded  a  Germai 
play;  four  times  I  was  ordered  to  hold  myself  in  readi 
ness;  and  four  times  Madame  Chevalier  found  mean 
to  prevent  its  representation. 

Being  pretty  w^ell  acquainted  with  the  Emperor' 
taste,  and  having  been  expressly  commanded  by  his  Ma 
jesty  to  bring  forward  one  of  my  own  pieces,  I  had  cho 
sen  The  Reconciliation  for  the  first  night,  and  The  Bache- 
lors of  Jffland  for  the  second.  It  is  necessary  that  thi 
play  which  the  Emperor  honours  with  his  presence  shouh 
be  short,  and  not  take  up  more  time  than  an  hour  and  i 
half^  or,  at  most,  an  hour  and  three  quarters  in  the  re| 
presentation.  I  had  therefore  taken  upon  myself  tb, 
disagreeable  task  of  curtailing  these  two  pieces;  but . 
had  been  labouring  in  vain.  Madame  Chevalier  wa 
able  to  prove,  on  this  occasion,  that  the  race  of  prett 
«cornful  Sultanas  (mentioned  by  Marmontei)  was  no 
extinct. 

What  could  I  do  ?  I  could  have  addressed  the  Empe 
ror  in  person,  and  obtained  an  order  that  would  have 
rendered  all  contradiction  vain;  I  was,  however,  to< 
well  acquainted  with  the  Court,  and  was  therefore  dej 
termined  to  submit  with  a  good  grace  to  that  which  ? 
could  not  remedy. 


I  In  all  other  respects,  in  every  personal  consideration, 
•l  adame  Chevalier  conducted  herself"  perfectly  well  to- 
h'ards  me ;  desirous,  perhaps,  of  indemnifying  me  by 
lis  method  for  the  troubles  she  had  brought  upon  the 
imipany,  and  their  manager.  I  v^^as  indulged  with  the 
|j)ecial  and  uncommon  favour  of  having  free  access  to  her 
buse  and  table.  She  did  fne  the  honour  too  to  play  the 
art  of  Gurli  in  my  Indians  in  England,  which  a  certain 
ilarquis  de  Castelnau,  had  the  barbarous  goodness  to 
hetamorphose  into  a  comic  opera ;  and  into  which  the 
pie  Sarti,  Master  of  the  Chapel,  infused  a  little  life  and 
'olour,  by  his  excellent  composition  of  the  music.  She 
prried  the  confidence  she  had  in  my-talents  so  far,  as  to 
riequest  me  to  write  a  French  comic  opera  according  to 
ly  own  fancy,  and  circumstances  obliged  me  to  set  se- 
|iously  about  the  task. 

.1  All  this  politeness,  which,  at  best,  could  only  affect 
itie  individually,  did  not  render  my  public  situation  the 
jnore  agreeable;  and  I  was  firmly  determined  to  solici 
joy  discharge  on  the  first  favourable  opportunity. 

!'  In  justification  of  this  resolution,  I  must  describe  with 
I  strong,  but  true  pencil,  my  own  situation  and  the  state 
)f  my  mind.  Alas  !  I  shared  in  common  with  almost 
;very  inhabitant  of  Petersburg  tlie  alarms  and  disquie- 
.udes  of  the  times.  A  set  of  wicked  men,  having  abus- 
,ed  the  confidence  of  a  Monarch,  whose  heart  was  prone 
:o  gentleness  and  benevolence,  were  always  talking  to 
lim  of  phantoms  which  had  no  existence,  and  the  exist- 
ence of  which  they  themselves  did  not  believe ;  and  at 
length  introduced  and  established  the  system  of  terror. 
Every  night  I  went  to  bed  full  of  the  most  gloomy  ap- 
prehensions. I  started  from  my  rest  in  the  wildest  sur- 
prise at  the  least  noise,  or  whenever  a  carriage  stopped 
in  the  street.  My  first  care  every  morning  was  to  anti- 
cipate all  the  possible  disasters  of  the  day,  with  a  view 
of  avoiding  them.  When  I  went  out  my  eyes  were 
constantly  looking  for  the  Emperor,  ^o  be  able  to  alight 
from  my  carriage  in  due  time.  I  watched  with  ceaseless 
attention  over  the  whole  economy  of  my  dress,  the 
choice  of  the  colours,  the  cut  fend  fashion  of  the  garment. 


216 


I  found  myself  under  the  necessity  of  paying  niy  cour' 
to  women  of  doubtful  jepatation,  and  men  of  shallow, 
understanding.    I  had  the  in>olenre  of  an  ignorant  bal 
lel-master  (the  husband  of  Madame  Chevalier)  to  com- 
bat with. — On  the  representation  of  every  new  piecQ^i 
tremblingly  expected  that  the  Police,  ever  on  thewat< 
or  the  Secret  Inquisition,  would  discover  some  passa 
to  be  either  specious  or  offensive.    Every  time  my  w 
took  an  airing  with  the  children,  and  staid  a  fe\v  n 
ments  later  than  usual,  I  was  fearful  of  hearing  that  a 
had  not  got  out  of  the  carriage  quickly  enough  on  moi 
ing  the  Emperor,  and  had  been  dragged  to  thecomm< 
prison,  as  had  lately  happened  to  the  wife  of  Demu 
the  innkeeper.    I  could  rarely  disburden  my  heart  of  i 
vexations  to  a  friend ;  for,  as  the  proverb  says,  tva 
had  ears,  and  one  brother  could  not  trust  another."  N 
could  I  lill  up  these  disastrous  hours  with  reading,  for  eve 
book  was  prohibited.    I  was  even  obliged  to  Ibrego  tl 
use  of  the  pen;  for  I  could  not  venture  to  commit  n 
tlioughts  to  paper,  which  might  be  seized  and  taken  frq 
me  perhaps  the  next  hour.    Every  time  my  busin4 
(obliged  me  to  walk  near  the  palace,  I  risked  injuring  n 
.'•eaith ;  because  at  every  season  of  the  year,  and  in  al' 
kinds  of  weather,  a  man  was  compelled  to  keep  his  heac 
uncovered  on  approaching  or  leaving  that  mass  of  stones., 
The  most  harmless  walk  became  a  torment,  for  one  was| 
almost  sure  to  meet  some  unhappy  wretch  on  his  way  to 
prison,  and  often  to  the  knout.  i 

I  call  the  whole  town  of  Petersburg  to  witness  if  the 
colourings  of  this  picture  are  too  dark  ! — O  if  the  mo-! 
narch  had  known  all  this!  what  redress  might  not  have; 
been  expected,  for  certainly  he  had  the  good  of  hisj 
subje^  ts  at  heart ! 

How  great  was  my  terror,  when  in  the  very  midst  of 
these  continual  alarms,  on  the  16th  day  of  December,  atj 
eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Count  Fahlen  sent  me  ant 
o.  derto  hasten  to  him  immediately.  Although  he  hadi 
chosen  a  young  man  of  easy  and  polite  manners,  and| 
with  whom  I  was  acquainted,  for  the  messenger ;  and 
although  he  had  been  expressly  enjoined  to  assure  me  I 


PI 


i|fl  nothing  to  fear,  and  ought  not  therefore  to  be  alarm- 
]  at  the  summons^  the  mere  sight  of  him  drove  back  the 

!X)d  to  my  heart ;  and  my  wife  was  so  much  terrified 
,  the  occasion  that  she  became  seriously  indisposed. 
On  my  arrival.  Count  de  Pahlen  told  me  that  the  Era- 

irror  had  determined  to  send  a  challenge  to  all  the  So- 
;reigns  of  Europe  and  their  Ministers;  and  that  his 
[ajesty  had  made  choice  of  me  to  draw  up  the  form  of 
le  challenge,  which  was  to  be  inserted  in  the  nevvspa- 
1;rs.    He  added,    that  Baron   Thugut  in  particular 

iust  be  mentioned  with  ridicule;  and  that  Generals  de 
utuscoff  and  de  Pahlen  were  to  be  named  as  seconds 
•  his  Majesty.  The  article  of  seconds,  it  may  be  ob- 
ijrved,  had  been  communicated  but  half  an  hour  before 
*  a  note  written  with  a  pencil,  and  which  still  lay  on 
:.e  Count's  table.  This  singular  challenge  was  to  be 
i;ady  in  an  hour,  and  I  was  ordered  to  present  it  in  per- 
)n  to  the  Emperor. 

ij  I  obeyed ;  and  in  less  than  an  hour  returned  with  the 

iiallenge  which  I  had  drawn  up.  The  Count,  who  knew 
le  Emperor's  intentions  better  than  myself,  did  not  think 
satirical  enough.  He  made  me  sit  down  at  his  de.sk, 
id  I  composed  a  second  which  pleased  him  better.  We 
3th  went  to  the  palace ;  and  I  was  now,  for  the  first 
{me  in  my  life,  to  be  presented  to  a  man,  who,  on  ac- 
punt  of  his  severity  and  beneficence,  the  terror  and  the 
hy  which  he  had  caused  me,  and  the  aversion  and.  gra- 
Itude  with  which  by  turns  he  had  inspired  me,  was  be- 
Some  a  most  important  personage  in  my  eyes.  I  had 
|iot  desired  this  honour,  and  had  much  doubted  of  ever 
leceiving  it ;  for  the  sight  of  me  could  not  fail  to  excite 
jsntiments  of  regret  and  sell-reproach  in  his  Imperial  Ma- 
jesty. 

j  We  waited  a  long  time  in  the  anti-chamber.  The 
'Emperor  was  gone  out  on  horseback ;  he  returned  late  ; 
he  Count  w^ent  in  to  him  with  my  paper,  and  staid  some 
jime ;  at  length  he  returned  much  out  of  humoiif,  and 
(poke  these  words  to  me  as  he  passed  by  ; — "  Come  to  me 
at  two  o'clock  ;  the  challenge  is  not  yet  strong  enough." 

I  went  home,  fully  persuaded  that  it  was  not  in  this 
nanner  I  was  likely  to  gain  the  good  graces  of  the  So- 
T 


218 

vereign ;  and  scarcely  had  I  been  half  an  hour  in  9 
house  when  a  running  footman  of  the  Count's  cam^ 
me  quite  out  of  breath,  to  inform  me  I  must  repair  that  iuj 
stant  to  the  Emperor. — I  obeyed.  ! 

The  moment  I  entered  the  cabinet,  in  which  weri 
only  himself  and  Count  de  Pahlen,  he  rose  from  his  so 
and  walking  two  or  three  paces  towards  me,  said  ii 
manner  peculiarly  graceful  and  with  his  body  inclined  | 
"  M.  dc  Kotzebue,  1  must  in  the  first  place  be  re 
conciled  to  you." 

I  was  much  struck>at  a  reception  I  had  such  litli 
reason  to  expect.  Princes  carry  in  their  hand  a  magi 
wand  called  clemency,  which  renders  them  all-powerful 
every  resentment  was  banished  from  my  breast  the  mc 
ment  the  Emperor  pronounced  these  words.  Agreeabl 
to  etiquette,  1  was  going  to  kneel  and  kiss  his  hand;  hi 
lifted  me  up,  however,  in  the  kindest  manner',  kisse 
me  on  the  forehead,  and  in  very  good  German  said : 

"  You  know  the  world  too  well  to  be  a  stranger  to  the  pc 
litical  events  of  the  day,  and  you  must  know  likewise  i 
what  manner  I  have  figured  in  them.  ,1  have  ofte 
acted  likeia  fool,*"  added  he  with  a  laugh,  "  and  it  ii 
but  just  I  should  be  punished;  with  this  view  therefore 
have  imposed  a  chastisement  on  myself.  I  wish,"  con 
tinued  he,  holding  a  paper  in  his  hand,  that  this  shoul 
be  inserted  in  the  Hamburgh  Gazette,  as  well  as  in  som 
other  public  prints." 

He  then  took  me  under  the  arm,  in  a  confidentij 
manner,  and  leading  me  to  the  window,  read  the  pape 
to  me,  which  was  written  with  his  own  hand  in  French; 
it  was  as  follows : 

*  His  own  expression. 

f  The  following  is  the  original  French,  pointed,  &c.  exactl 
as  his  Majesty  wrote  it  : 

"  On  apprend  de  Petersbourg,  que  I'Empereur  de  Russie  voy 
ant  que  les  puissances  de  TEurope  ne  pouvoit  s'accorder  entr'  ell« 
et  voulant  mettre  fin  k  une  guerre  qui  la  desoloit  depuis  onz 
ans,  vouloit  proposer  un  lieu  ot  il  inviteroit  tousles  autres  Soi 
verains  de  se  rendre  et  y  combattre  en  champ  clos,  ayant  ave 
cux  pour  6cuyer  juge  dc  Camp  et  Heros  d'armes  leurs  ministre 


"  219 

1 1  "  We  hear  from  Petersburg,  that  the  Emperor  of 
i  jlussia,  finding  that  the  powers  of  Europe  cannot  agree 
ilimong  themselves,  and  being  desirous  to  put  an  end  to 
I  war  which  has  desolated  it  for  eleven  years  past,  iij- 
ends  to  point  out  a  spot,  to  which  he  will  invite  all  the 
)thers  Sovereigns  to  repair  and  fight  in  single  combat; 
)ringing  with  them,  as  seconds  and  'squires,  their  most 
;nlightened  ministers,  and  their  most  able  generals,  such 
lis  Messrs.  Thugut,  Pitt,  Bernstorfl",  &c.  and  that  the 
jLmperor  himself  proposes  being  attended  by  generals 
pount  de  Pahlen  and  Kutosof:  We  know  not  if  this  re- 
)ort  be  worthy  of  credit ;  however,  the  thing  appears 
:iot  to  be  destitute  of  some  foundation,  and  bears  strong 
inarks  of  what  he  has  been  often  taxed  w'ith." 
!  At  the  last  period  he  laughed  most  heartily ;  and,  cour- 
ier-like, I  laughed  too. 

*'  What  do  you  laugh  at  said  he,  twice  in  one  breath, 
imd  very  rapidly,  still  continuing  to  laugh  himself. 

"  That  your  Majesty  is  so  well  informed  of  things." 

"  Here,"  resumed  he,  putting  the  paper  into  my  hand^;, 
'  translate  this  into  German ;  keep  the  original,  and 
)ring  me  a  copy." 

I  took  ray  leave,  and  set  about  mv  task.  The  last 
vord,  taxed  ivith,  embarrassed  me  much.  Had  I  chosen 
the  German  word,  which  signifies  accused,  the  expres- 
(ion,  I  thought,  might  appear  too  strong,  and  give  the 
j^mperor  offence.  After  mature  reflection  I  went  in- 
[lirectly  to  work,  and  I  wrote,  tihat  he  has  been  often 
\udged  capable  of. 

At  two  o'clock  I  returned  to  the  castle.  Count  Ku- 
aissow  announced  me;  I  was  immediately  introduced, 
ind  I  found  the  Emperor  alone. 

"  Sit  down,"  said  he,  in  a  very  affable  manner :  not 
►beying  him  at  first,  from  motives  of  mere  respect,  he 

2S  plk^^,clair<?s  et  les  generanx  les  pins  haljilefi  tels  que  MM. 
rhu,!^t,  Pitt,  Bernstovff,  Ini  meme  se  proposant  de  prendre  avec 
ji  les  generaux  C.  de  Pahlen  et  Kutosof ;  on  ne  scait  si  on  doit 
ajouter  ibis,  toute  fois  la  chose  ne  paroit  pas  desiitU(^e  de  fon- 
!e«V!ent,  cn  pol-tant  rempreinte  de  ce  dont  il  a  souvent  ^tc  tax<:.'' 


2'20 


added,  in  a  severer  tone,  "  Sit  down,  1  say."  I 
a  ch.nir,  and  sat  opposite  to  him  at  his  table. 

He  took  the  original  French  and  said,  "  Read 
y-anslation  to  me,"*  I  read  slowly,  and  eyed  him  oc 
casionally  ov^r  the  paper  as  I  proceeded.  He  laughec 
•when  I  came  to  the  ^vords,  si?igle  combat,  and  he  gav( 
.1  nod  of  approbation,  from  time  to  time,  till  I  camej 
the  last  word.  m 

''Judged  capable  of!''  resumed  he,  "  no,  that  is  m 
the  word  ;  you  must  say  taxed  zdth."  I  took  the  libert' 
of  observing  to  him,  that  the  word  tax,  in  German,  sig 
nified  to  estimate  the  value  of  goods,  and  not  of  an  ac 
tion.  That  is  very  well,"  replied  he,  but  Judget 
capable,  does  not  express  the  French  word  taxe." 

I  then  ventured  to  ask  in  a  low  voice,  "  if  1  might  h 
allowed  to  employ  the  word  accused/' 

"  Very  well,  that  is  the  word — accused,  accused: 
he  repealed  it  three  or  four  times,  and  I  changed  th 
expression  agreeably  to  his  order.  He  thanked  me  ver 
cordially  for  my  trouble,  and  dismissed  me,  equall 
touched  and  delighted  with  the  manner  in  which  he  ha 
received  me.  All  who  have  nearly  approached  hir 
-vvill  bear  witness,  that  he  knew  how  to  be  extremel 
engaging,  and  that  in  such  moments  he  was  quite  irr€ 
sistible. 

I  did  not  feel  it  incumbent  on  me  to  omit  the  smalle 
circumstance  relative  to  a  fact  which  has  made  so  muc 
noise  in  the  world.  The  challenge  appeared  two  daj 
after  in  the  Court  Gazette,  to  the  great  astonishment  < 
the  whole  town.  The  President  of  the  Academy  < 
Sciences,  who  had  received  the  manuscript  in  order  t 
have  it  inserted,  could  not  believe  his  own  eyes.  H 
went  in  person  to  Count  de  Pahlen,  to  be  assured  thei 
was  no  foul  play  in  the  business.  At  Moscow,  the  Gj 
zette  in  which  it  appeared  was  stopped  by  order  of  tl: 
Police,  as  it  could  not  be  imagined  there,  that  the  Moi 
arcli  wished  to  make  the  article  public.  The  same  thin 
look  place  at  Riga. 

*  It  appeared  word  for  word  in  No.  9  of  the  Hamburgh  G 
isette  of  the  15th  of  Jauuarv,  1801,  dated  from  Petersburg,  tl 
SOch  Dec.  1800. 


221 


The  Emperor,  on  his  part,  could  hardly  wait  till  the 
paragraph  was  printed ;  and  such  was  his  impatience, 
that  he  made  inquiries  about  it  several  times  in  the  in- 
terval. 

The  next  day  he  made  me  a  present  of  a  snufr4)0X 
set  with  brilliants,  of  the  value  of  about  two  thousand 
roubles,*  I  do  not  believe  that  a  translation  of  twenty 
lines  was  ever  better  paid  for. 

The  Emperor  soon  after  told  the  Empress,  that  he  had 
become  acquainted  with  me.  He  is  now,"  said  he^ 
"  one  of  my  best  subjects."  I  have  this  anecdote  from 
one  who  was  present ;  but  I  am  ignorant  why  his  Ma- 
jesty thought  me  a  betier  subject  then,  than  1  was  be- 
ibre  my  journey  to  Siberia. 

There  are  persons  who  blamed  me  for  not  availing 
myself  of  these  opportunities  of  soliciting  new  fiivours. 
It  is  true  his  Imperial  Majesty  seemed  to  expect  this, 
and  his  kind  and  affable  deportment  appeared  not  a  little 
to  encourage  such  views;  but  I  always  felt  an  unde- 
scribable  reluctance  on  these  occasions ;  and  whatever 
I  might  have  lost  by  this  diffidence,  will  never  cost  me 
a  single  regret. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  had  gained  the  inestimable  bles- 
sings of  tranquillity,  to- which  my  heart  had  been  so  long 
a  stranger;  for  having  now  spoken  with  the  Emperor, 
and  seen  and  discovered  the  nobiei^.ess  and  benevolence 
of  his  di?j30sition,  the  greater  part  of  my  alarms  sub- 
sided. I  now  admired  him  more  than  1  had  hitherto 
feared  him,  being  persuaded,  as  I  still  am,  that  a  decent 
freedom,  a  frank  and  open  manner,  without  meanness, 
without  servility,  was,  of  all  kinds  of  behaviour,  theniost 
agreeable  to  him.  All  that  was  necessary,  was  to  give 
way  to  his  little  singularities,  w-hich  was  far  from  being 
a  difficult  task ;  for  admitting  there  was  no  greatness  on 
his  part  in  exacting  the  rigorous  observance  of  certain 
trifles,  it  must  likewise  be  allowed,  there  was  less  in 

*  The  Editor  of  the  Gazette  /«;•  die  elegante  Welt,  asserted  it 
\yas  worth  four  thousand.    He  was  mistaken. 

T  ^ 


222 

submitting  with  repugnance  to  tliose  formalities,  as  tl 
did  not  absolutely  disturb  the  happiness  of  society. 

From  this  moment  I  received  a  thousand  little  mar 
of  good-will  at  the  hands  of  hi-^  Majesty.    1  never 
hii?^  in  the  street  but  he  stopped  to  converse  with  me. 
iiis  conduct  towards  me  never  changed  to  the  day  of  his  ■ 
death  ;  he  continued  to  show  himself  to  be  benevolent, 
affable,  and  noble.    Why  should  I  be  ashamed  to  con-  I 
fes>,  that  my  eyes  are  batlied  in  tears,  while  gratitude 
strews  tl>ese  flowers  upon  his  grave  ? 

In  the  month  of  January  he  ordered  Misanthropij  and 
F.epentancf.  to  be  acted  by  tlie  I'rench  Company  at  the  t 
Hermitage.    It  is  well  known,  that,  except  the  officers  i 
of  the  guards,  none  but  the  four  first  classes  have  access  ■ 
to  the  interior  circle  of  the  court.    The  Emperor,  how-  f 
ever,  condescended  to  make  an  exception  in  favour  of  i 
the  author  of  the  piece,  and  invited  me  to  the  represen- 
tation ;  and  from  that  moment  I  was  admitted  every  time 
a  play  was  acted  at  tlie  Hermitage. 

It  will  readily  be  believed,  that  my  heart  beat  vio- 
lently at  the  repre«;entation  of  Mismithropi/  and  Bepent- 
ance.  To  the  perfect  acting  of  Aladame  de  Valville,  I 
am  principally  indebted  for  the  visible  emotion  which 
the  piece  excited  in  the  Emperor.  Aufresne,  a  man  ' 
turned  of  seventy,  whose  talents  have  been  known  and 
applauded  in  Germany,  acted  the  part  of  the  old  man. 
His  Majesty  sat  just  over  the  orchestra,  and  I  observed, 
that  during  the  whole  representation  he  had  a  centinel 
on  duty  behind  his  chair,  dressed  in  the  Maltese  regijj 
mentals,  ^ 

About  this  time  the  Emperor  wished  to  have  Tlie  Crem- 
ation of  Haydn  performed  in  French,  and  asked  me  to 
translate  it  1"nto  that  language.  To  have  any  idea  of 
this  work,  a  man  must  be  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
the  difficulty  of  adapting  words  to  music  already  com- 
posed. What  rendered  this  task  still  m.ore  irksome,  was 
the  extreme  exactness,  not  to  say  tedious  minuteness  of 
good  old  Sarti;  who  being  employed  to  accommodate' 
my  words  with  the  music,  was  eternally  talking  to  me 
of  long  and  short  syllables;  while  it  is  well  known,  that 


^223 


lie  French  tongue  cannot  be  said  to  have  either  long- 
nes  or  short  ones.  The  work,  however,  was  almost 
ompleted,  and  was  intended  for  the  Easter  holidays^ 
ut  the  Emperor  did  not  Hve  so  long. 
If,  notwithstanding  all  the  distinguished  kindness  of 
le  Court-Marshal,  whose  noble  conduct  I  shall  ever  re- 
icmber  with  gratitude,  a  thousand  little  plagues  had  not 
ontrlbuted  to  disgust  me  with  the  management  of  the 
•lay-house,  I  may  with  truth  reckon  this  among  the  most 
appy  periods  of  my  life ;  for  I  had  formed  round  me  a 
ircle  of  select  and  amiable  friends ;  their  number,  in- 
eed,  was  small,  but  their  merit  amply  supplied  that 
eficiency.  Among  these  I  may  name  Aulic  Counsellor 
torch,  known  in  Germany  as  an  excellent  writer,  and 
;ell  known  to  me  for  the  goodness  of  his  heart  and  the 
enerosity  of  his  sentiments;  the  worthy  Counsellor  of 
tate  Suthof  and  his  lady  were  of  the  number,  as  well 
s  the  Counsellor  of  State  JVelzien,  a  most  modest  man, 
nd  endowed  with  original  comic  humour.  We  had 
stablished  among  ourselves  a  little  well-regulated  cir- 
le,  where  I  have  passed  hours,  the  remembrance  of 
hi  ell  will  be  long  attended  v^^ith  the  most  agreeable 
.^nsations  ;  and  I  am  sure  that  on  their  parts,  the  friends 
have  named  will  often  think  of  me. 


224 


I 


CHAP.  III. 


At  this  period  I  found  myself  suddenly  emanclpa 
from  the  troublesome  business  of  die  theatre,  and  in  th 
most  agreeable,  manner.  The  Emperor  had  just  linishe 
his  famous  pahice  of  Michdiloff.  Enamoured  with  th 
fairy  castle,  which  rose  out  of  the  earth  as  it  were  b 
magic,  and  whicli  had  cost  between  fifteen  and  eightee 
millions  of  roubles,  he  preferred  it  to  all  his  other  habits 
tions,  and  left,  among  the  rest,  his  U inter  Palace  as 
is  called,  an  healthy  and  commodious  building,  to  sh» 
himself  up  among  damp  walls,  down  which  the  wat< 
still  continued  to  trickle.  His  Physicians  were  ordere 
to  examine  at  several  ditferent  times  the  state  of  this  ne- 
edifice,  and  each  time  they  warned  him  of  the  dangi 
he  would  incur  by  residing  in  it.  But  perceiving  the 
were  continually  sent  to  repeat  their  examination, 
or^er  to  weary  them  into  a  more  favourable  judgmerj 
they  at  last  surrendered  up  their  sincerity. 

The  Emperor  took  up  his  abode  in  this  mephitic  maij 
sion  in  the  depth  of  winter,  and  was  highly  delighti 
with  it.  He  felt  much  pleasure  in  conducting  his  gues 
over  the  whole  edifice,  and  in  showing  them  the  varioi 
treasures  which  he  had  procured  at  a  vast  expense  fro' 
Paris  and  Rome.  The  extravagant  praises  which  we 
of  course  lavished  upon  mere  trifles,  and  the  exclamati(. 
a  thou.^and  tunes  repeated,  that  all  was  divine,  w/jf^wc 
at  length  possessed  him  with  the  idea  of  having  draw 
up  a  detailed  description  of  this  eighth  wonder  of  tl 
world.  He  charged  me  with  this  task  in  the  most  fls 
tering  manner.  More  than  once  he  was  pleased  to  t< 
me,  that  he  expected  to  see  something  extraordinary  pr 
duced  by  my  pen,  and  threw  me  into  great  embarra? 
iflcnt  by  the  high  expectation  he  had  formed  relative 


2^3 

my  work.  He  lent  me  The  Description  of  Berlin  and 
Potsdam,  written  by  Nicolai,  from  his  own  library;  ^ 
the  same  time  expressing  a  wish,  that  my  description 
might  be  still  more  detailed  than  Nicolai's. 

I  complied  immediately  with  the  Monarch's  orders. 
I  observed,  however,  that  I  was  deficient  in  many  branches 
of  knowledge  necessary  to  produce  this  work;  that  I 
knew  not  how  to  describe,  in  proper  terras,  the  several 
beauties  of  architecture,  sculpture,  and  painting;  that 
1  presumed  therefore  to  request,  that  I  might  be  allowed 
the  assistance  of  able  men  in  these  different  departments. 
The  request  was  instantly  granted.  I  proposed  for  an- 
tiquities the  Aulic  Counsellor  Kohler,  keeper  of  the 
cabinet  of  curiosities  at  the  Hermitage,  a  man  equally 
able  and  obliging.  For  architecture  1  named  Brennathe 
Roman ;  and  for  painting  the  two  brothers  Kugeikhen, 
whose  admirable  talents  and  amiable  manners  are  gene- 
rally known. 

His  Majesty  with  great  goodness  consented  to  every 
thing  I  proposed  ;  and  gave  orders  that  I  should  have 
access  to  every  part  of  the  palace  at  al!  hours.  The 
Grand  Marshal,  as  captain  of  the  paiace,  made  the  tour 
with  me  the  first  time,  and  I  then  set  about  my  task. 

I  spent  the  greater  part  of  every  day  in  this  edifice:  I 
was  there  in  the  morning,  the  afternoon,  and  often  late 
in  the  evening.  I  frequently  met  the  Emperor  as  I  was 
busied  in  noting  down  my  observations.  He  always 
stopped,  and  spake  to  me  in  a  very  friendly  manner ; 
and  often  exhorted  me  to  describe  nothing  superficially, 
but  to  enter  into  the  most  complete  detail. 

I  availed  myself  of  this  opportunity  to  request  my  dis- 
charge from  the  managership  of  the  theatre,  and  present- 
ed my  petition  in  writing  to  Count  de  Narischkin  the 
8th  ofJFebruary.  The  Count  made  many  flattering  ob- 
jections; but  perceiving  that  I  persisted  in  my  solicita- 
tions, he  postponed  the  matter  to  a  future  day.  In  a 
short  time,  however,  I  renewed  my  solicitation,  nor 
did  1  cease  my  importunity^  till  I  clearly  discovered  the 
inefficacy  of  my  applications.  I  then  petitioned  for  some 
alleviation  of  the  burthen  imposed  upon  me;  alleging 


226  ■ 

that  my  attendance  at  Michailoff  did  not  allow  me  su^ 
ficient  time  to  superintend  the  aftairs  of  the  theatre;  aixi  i 
that  if  my  discharge  should  be  denied,  I  had  no  expe-; 
dient  left  but  to  ask  for  a  colleague.  This  last  request 
was  granted,  and  the  choice  of  the  colleague  was  left  to 
myself.  In  this  manner  I  obtained,  in  the  person  of  one 
of  my  friends,  an  assistant,  with  a  salary  of  fifteen  hun-' 
dred  roubles  and  a  yearly  benefit;  and  upon  him  T  was 
thus  enabled  to  throw  a  great  part  of  that  load  of  troubles 
inseparable  from  a  situation  of  that  nature. 

I  must  take  this  opportunity  of  refuting  an  ab=;urd  pa- 
ragraph v/hichhas  crept  into  the  Gazette  ^^.r  die  elegmite 
Welt.  It  asserts,  in  the  first  place,  that  /  wearied  out 
the  actors  in  making  them  study  their  parts.  I  apprehend 
that  the  man  who  famished  this  article  is  himself  some 
idle  player,  constantly  imperfect  in  his  part,  sincel  never 
allowed  less  than  a  fortnight  for  the  most  trivial  charac- 
ters. In  the  same  place  he  asserts,  that  my  pieces  alone 
were  represented.  A  most  ridiculous  reproach  !  The 
greater  part  of  the  new  pieces  in  fact  were  mine,  because 
it  v/as  not  possible  to  obtain  others.  All  Europe  knows 
that  no  manuscript  wa>  suffered  to  pass  the  frontiers  > 
that  all  bo(>k>,  even  the  bible,  were  proscribed.  How 
then  could  I  procure  new  plays  ?  I  had  only  Tlie  Re* 
memhranres  of  Iffland,  and  The  Incognito  of  Ziegler,  and 
two  or  three  more  which  Mire  had  left  in  the  stock  of 
the  theatre.  These  I  had  given,  and  others  /  coz/W  not 
give.  I  appeal  to  the  testimony  of  Iffland  himself,  wIk) 
will  declare  that  I  had  written  to  him  to  send  me  some 
of  his  new  pieces,  closely  transcribed  in  the  form  of  letters. 
Even  this  was  a  dangerous  expedient;  and  since  I  ob- 
tained nothing  in  this  manner,  I  could  only  gi  ve  old  stock 
pieces;  for  I  was  nearly  at  the  end  of  my  own.  Such 
?.n  attack  is  really  scandalous,  since  the  writei\  if  he 
actually  wrote  from  Petersburg,  must  have  been  funy  con- 
vinced of  the  injustice  of  the  charge. 

What  he  has  further  written  against  me  has  been  al- 
ready refuted,  or  shall  be  in  the  sequel.  The  reader,  I 
trust,  will  pardon  this  digression  on  a  subject  in  which 
Diy  honour  i.i  so  materially  concerned. 


227 


I  The  description  of  ^he  palace  was  nearly  completed 
When  the  Emperor  died.  As  the  greater  part  of  the  va- 
luable articles  which  it  contained  were  soon  after  remov,- 
;3d  ;  and  as  the  building  itself,  as  well  as  the  whole  ar- 
rangement of  it,  throws  considerable  light  upon  the  tastc^ 
and  even  the  character  of  that  Prince,  I  shall  gratify  the 
wishes  of  several  of  my  friends,  and  I  trust  indulge  the 
i:uriosity  of  many  of  my  readers,  by  the  insertion  of  an 
jibridgment  of  a  long  and  painful  work. 
I 

Id  Short  Description  of  the  Imperial  Palace  of  MichdiloJ\ 

\  This  edifice  stands  at  the  confluence  of  the  Mo'ikaand 
ihe  Fontanka,  and  occupies  the  ground  on  which  the 
ummer  palace  of  Peter  the  Great  had  been  erected. 
The  Empress  Elizabeth  caused  many  alterations  to  be 
nade  therein  :  being  built  of  wood  however  it  soon  fell 
nto  decay  ;  and  a  Phcenix  h^is  risen  from  its  ashes. 

The  garden  street  terminates  with  a  portal.  Eight 
loric  columns  of  red  marble,  the  produce  of  the  country, 
upport  a  number  of  trophies,  and  three  gates  open  be- 
vveen  four  pillars  of  granite.  The  Emperor's  cypher 
interwoven  with  the  Maltese  cross)  with  eagles,  crowns, 
uid  garlands,  in  gilt  bronze,  ornament  the  gates  and 
)allisades.  The  middle  gate  is  never  opened  except  fc)r 
lie  Imperial  family.  These  gates  lead  to  a  triple  row 
)1"  linden  and  birch  trees,  three  hundred  feet  long, 
)lanted  in  the  reign  of  the  Empress  Anne.  This  alley 
s  bounded  on  the  left  by  the  exercise  room,  an  immense 
diiice  of  an  oblong  square,  which  is  never  warm  during 
\  inter,  although  furnished  with  twenty  four  huge  stoves, 
)n  the  right  the  w  alk  is  bordered  by  the  stable  walls :  it  is 
crminated  by  two  pavilions  intended  for  the  lodgings  of 
lie  officers  of  the  Imperial  household. 
A  drawbridge  leads  over  a  canal  thirty  feet  wide,  fac- 
1  with  free  stone,  to  the  grand  area  before  the  palace, 
\  hich  is  three  hundred  and  thirty  feet  long,  and  sixty 
L'ct  wide.    In  the  middle  sttmds  a  colossal  equestriaij 

'  For  a  description  of  the  Molkji,  the  Fontanka,  the  summer 
:e,  &c.  see  Storcii's  Picture  of  Petersburg. 


22-8 

st-atue  in  bronze  of  Peter  the  Great,  upon  a  marble  pi 
des.tal,  raised  upon  four  steps.  The  horse  seems  in  mo» 
lion  ;  the  rider  is  dressed  in  a  Roman  habit,  and  crown- 
ed with  a  laurel  wreath.  An  Itahan  of  the  name  of ' 
Martelli  cast  this  statue  in  the  year  17  14,  in  the  reign 
of  Ehzabetli ;  and  it  had  Jain  forgotten  under  a  shed  ever 
since.  The  esteem  the  great  grandson  entertained  for 
his  ancestor  drew  itout  of  its  obscurity.  On  the  pedes- 
tal is  the  following  inscription;  « 

Prodaedu  Pravnuch.* 

On  the  right  and  left  sides  of  this  pedestal  are  two  bass- 
reliefs  in  bronze,  representing  the  battle  of  Pultava,  and 
the  taking  of  Schlusselburg. 

We  now^  come  to  the  front  of  the  palace.  Each  side 
of  this  edifice  measures  two  hundred  and  ninety  four  feet, 
independent  of  the  salient  angles.  The  building  is  sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  by  canals,  wiiich  are  supplied  hf 
the  Fontanka:  they  are  ornamented  with  quays  of  gra- 
nite, over  which  are  thrown  five  drawbridges.  The' 
foundations  of  the  palace  are  nine  feet  deep,  and  com'' 
posed  of  l*arge  piles  driven  close  to  each  other,  and  cased! 
with  strong  pieces  of  timber. 

The  subterraneous  part,  and  the  first  story,  are  buil 
with  blocks  of  granite,  and  the  two  other  stories  witl 
brick,  incrusted  in  part  with  marble.  The  rest  is  coverec 
with  a  reddish  stucco,  which  colour  tradition  ascribes  to  5i 
trait  of  chivalrous  gallantry.  A  lady  of  the  court  havin| 
one  day  appeared  in  gloves  of  that  hue,  it  is  positive!' 
said  that  the  Emperor  sent  one  of  them  as  a  pattern 
the  plaisterer.  It  must  be  confessed,  however,  that  suci 
a  colour  suited  a  pair  of  gloves  much  better  than  the  wall 
of  a  palace.  Many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Petersbur 
seized  that  opportunity  of  flattering  the  Emperor,  an' 
daubed  their  houses  with  this  colour.  Madame  ChevE 
licr  carried  this  species  of  flattery  still  farther :  she  mad' 
choice  of  the  colour  for  the  part  of  Iphigenia. 

The  reader  may  form  some  idea  of  the  impression  wi(' 
which  a  stranger  must  be  struck  on  approaching  this  ed 


*  The  great  grandson  to  his  great  grandfather- 


|e.  It  is  a  monstrous  mass  of  red  stone,  environed 
•ith  ditches  and  drawbridges,  and  encumbered  with 
I'enlv  pieces  of  large  brass  cannon,  many  of  the  va- 
^i)us  ornaments  of  whicli  are  directly  contrary  to  the 

immon  rules  of  art.  The  two  large  obelisks  of  grey 
irble,  for  instance,  at  the  entrance  of  the  principal 
)nt,  reach  to  the  top  of  the  edifice  and  support  the 
nperor's  cypher  in  bronze,  with  trophies  of  while  mar- 
3;  and  near  them  are  the  two  statues,  Diana  and  the 
ilvedere  Apollo,  which  being  placed  in  small  niches, 
r)duce  a  mean  effect,  merely  on  account  of  their  situa- 
fU ;  above  these  is  a  colonade  of  the  doric  order,  sus- 
ning  a  rustic  portal ;  a  frontispiece  of  Parian  marble,  the 
)rk  of  the  two  Slagis,  likewise  calches  the  eye,  pre- 
iting  History  under  the  figure  of  Fame,  as  she  appears 
Trajan's  column  :  on  the  attic  two  goddesses  of  glory 
Dport  the  Imperial  arms,  and  on  the  roof,  which  is 
erlaid  with  green  varnish,  appear  struggling  groups  of 
tues,  representing  Cybeles  crowned  with  towers,  and 
aring  on  their  shields  the  arms  of  the  Russian  provin- 
!.  Upon  the  frieze,  which  is  composed  of  porphyry 
the  country,  we  read  the  following  words  : 

DOMU    TVOJEMU  PODOVAJET 
SVATUNA    GOSPODNA    V*DOLGOTU  DNEI.* 

And  lastly,  above  the  gate,  upon  a  ground  of  black 
xble,  we  behold  this  inscription: 

VOSKRESENSKIJA.f 

Such  is  the  grotesque  assemblage  of  objects  which  ex- 
ss  the  stranger's  surprise,  each  of  which,  if  taken  se- 
•ately,  would  display  many  beauties;  but  which, 
mped  as  they  are,  produce  an  effect  disgusting  to 
e  taste.  The  architect,  whose  name  is  Brenna,  as- 
bes  the  whole  composition  to  the  Emperor  himself^ 
o,  according  to  his  account,  even  sketched  the  de- 
ns ;  but  some  people  doubt  this  assertion. 

I  Holiness  becometh   thine  house  forever.    Psalm  xciii, 

t  The  Sabbath  gate. 
U 


230  ■ 

The  church  sLartsout  ni  the  form  of  an  oval  from  ilmm 
cond  front.  It  is  incrusted  with  g'-ey  Siberian  fnarbi(| 
and  decorated  with  bass-rehefs,  representing  the  foiij 
Evangelists,  with  a  cornice  of  cherubs,  fogether  with  tw 
stc^tues  standing  in  niches,  the  one  of  Religion,  and  m 
other  of  Faith.*  On  the  attic  are  two  statues  of  S 
Peter  and  St.  Paul  on  each  side  of  across.  A  gilt  tov 
or  finishes  the  dome  of  the  church  ;  the  cupola  is  hm 
with  four  chandeliers,  which,  as  well  as  the  dome  il 
sCif,  and  the  cross,  are  of  gilded  bronze.  j 

Over  a  door,  not  far  from  the  church,  we  read  tJj 
word^  inscribed  on  a  black  marble  ground  :  j 

ROSCHESTWENSKIJA.f  fl 

I  endeavoured  in  vain  to  discover  the  Monarch'' 
tcntion  in  the  choice  he  had  made  of  the  two  last  inscri 
lions.  A  man  of  high  consequence,  however,  advis 
me  to  leave  them  untranslated  in  my  description.  \ 

The  third  front  overlooks  the  summer-garden  :  a  cj 
culaf  stair-case,  containing  twenty-six  steps  of  Serdoji 
granite,  leads  to  a  large  hall,  supported  by  ten  do 
pillars  of  red  marble.    The  floor  is  white;  on  each-s| 
are  two  Egyptian  statues  of  bardiglio  de  Carrara,  ah.j 
stone,  resembling  in  colour  a  basalt.    The  landing-pl 
of  the  stair-case  is  graced  on  each  side  with  six  dci 
columns  of  red  marble,  over  which  rises  an  attic,  s 
rounded  by  a  balustrade,  which  serves  as  a  belvedtl 
To  these  ornaments  are  likewise  added  the  statuejj 
Prudence  and  Strength,  which  stand  in  two  niches, 
the  cupola  of  an  adjacent  pavilion,  is  the  palace  clo 
and  when  the  Emperor  is  here,  the  Imperial  flag  is  h( 
ed  on  a  small  tower,  which  forms  a  part  of  the  pavil 

Having  thus  surveyed  the  exterior  of  the  palace,  | 
shall  enter  it  on  the  side  of  the  grand  front;  and  I 
Sabbath-door  will  lead  us  under  a  peristyle,  which  fc 
an  oblong  square.  On  each  side  the  coach-way,  wli 
divides  the  peristyle,  rises  a  colonade  containing twe 

*  These  two  beautiful  statues,  by  Conradini,  were  bro' 
lilther  from  the  summer-gardens,  and  are  more  fully  desci 
in  Storch's  Picture  of  Petersburg,  p.  431. 

I  The  gate  of  the  Resurrectiorh 


jHar  doric  pillars. :  each  pillar  is  composed  of  a  single 
jHMck  of  granite ;  the  bases  and  capitals  of  which  are 
^Hpiaskol  marble.  In  the  midst  of  the  colonade  ar<* 
^Bpced  the  copies  of  the  Medicean  and  Borghesian  vases,* 

11  white  marble,  and  on  one  side  stand  two  colossal 
atues  in  niches,  the  one,  representing  Hercules  with 
S  club,  and  the  other,  Alexander  tlie" Great. 
After  having  traversed  the  peristyle,  we  come  to  the 
terior  area  of  the  palace,  an  octagon  of  one  hundred 
nd  ninety-eight  feet  diameter,  and  which  lies  six  feet 
igher  than  the  circumjacent  level.  The  Imperial  Fami- 
ly and  Ambassadors  are  alone  permitted  to  drive  through 
his  court. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  count  how  often  the  Empe- 
of*s  cypher  is  repeated  within  and  without  this  edifice : 
ti  the  interior  court  the  piers  of  the  windows  and  all  the 
.djacent  parts  are  filled  with  it.  In  this  area,  in  eight 
liches,  stand  as  many  statues  of  wretched  workman » 
hip ;  they  are  intended  to  represent  Strength,  Plenty, 
/"ictory.  Glory,  &c.  but  they  are  miserably  executed, 
nd  furnish  new  proo-f  of  the  disgusting  contrast  of  the 
uxuryand  want  of  taste  which  prevail  through  the  whole 
)alace. 

Four  large  flights  of  steps,  and  two  of  less  dimensions, 
ead  from  the  area  to  the  inside  of  tlie  palace,  and  are 
erminated  by  large  glass  doors;  but  vv^ithout  passing 
:hrough  the  court  we  enter  on  the  left  side  of  the  peristyle 
:nto  an  oval  room,  where  th  irty  soldiers  and  one  officer  of  the 
•egiment  of  life-guards  remain  always  upon  duty.  Tliis 
party  is  continually  relieved  by  another  of  the  same  regi- 
ment, while  the  rest  of  the  palace  is  guarded  by  soldiers 
of  several  different  regiments.  The  spot  where  these 
thirty  men  mount  guard,  has  been  very  judiciously  chosen; 
the  hall  they  occupy  extending  on  one  side  to  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  peristyle,  and  on  the  other  to  the  state 
stair-case;  no  one  could  approach  the  Emperor  witbouf. 
passing  close  to  the  guard-hoUv3.  The  granite  steps  of 
this  stair-case  rise  between  two  balustrades  of  grey  Sibe- 

*  Broug-htfrom  the  Tauridan  palace,  v.-here  they  were  place<i 
by  prince  Poterakin,  and  are  of  exquisuc  v/orkmanship.  " 


232 


rian  marble,  intermixed  with  pilasters  of  polished  bronze 
The  walls  are  incrusted  with  various  kind;?  of  marble 
and  the  compartments  were  intended  to  be  painted  i 
i'resco.  On  the  landing  place  stood  a  fine  copy  in  whit 
marble  of  the  Capitoline  Cleopatra ;  on  each  side  wer 
seen  the  statues  of  Prudence  and  Justice  in  niches.  A 
the  top  of  the  stair-case  two  grenadiers  stand  alwaj 
upon  guard. 

I.  have  led  the  reader  as  far  as  the  grand  mahogao' 
doors,  the  pannels  of  which  are  richly  ornamented  wi^ 
shields  and  arms,  and  Gorgons*  heads  finely  worked  ^ 
bronze.  The  door  on  the  right  opens  into  the  stal 
apartments  of  the  Emperor. 

From  an  oval  anti-chamber,  in  which  we  behold  wit] 
pleasure  the  bust  of  Gustavus  Adolphus,  and  with  pit 
an  allegorical  ceiling  painted  by  a  Russian  dauber  c 
the  name  of  Smugletilsch,  we  pass  into  a  spacious  root 
plaistered  with  spotted  yellow  stucco.    For  the  sak* 
of  brevity,  I  shall  mention  on\y  the  principal  orna 
jnentsof  each  chamber.    In  this  room  were  sixhistorica 
pictures,  sixteen  feet  in  height  and  twelve  in  width 
The  subjects  are  as  follows  :  The  battle  of  Pultava,  b] 
Schebujejf,  a  fine  composition,  full  of  force  and  expres 
sion,  in  which  Peter  the  Great  and  GenerahS^ermetof 
are  the  principal  figures.     The  taking  of  Casan,  by  th( 
Czar  Ivan  Vasilevitsch,  painted  by  Ogrumoff,  a  vvgll 
grouped  piece.    The  Coronation  of  Michael  Fedorozvitsd 
Romanoiv,  grandfather  to  Peter  the  Great,  a  good  picture 
the  work  oY  OgrumoJT,  who  deserves  to  be  ranked  amon^i 
the  best  historical  painters  of  his  time.    The  Union  of  tin 
Russian  and  Turkish  Fleets*  and  their  common  passage 
through  the  Dardanelles,  by  FretschetnikoJ',  an  indif 
ferent  representation  of  a  memorabe  6vent,  though  no! 
deficient  in  aerial  perspecti\  e.    The  Victorj/  of  Princt 
Demetrius  hanoiitsrh  Donsky  over  the  Tartars  of  the 
Don  in  the  plains  of  Kulikofi',  and  The  Baptism  of  tht 
Great  Duke  of  Vlaiimir,  painted  by  an  Englishman  ol 
the  name  of*  Atkinson,  whose  pencil  has  a  bold  and 

*  ?vlr.  John  Atkinson,  a  young  arff^ist  of  great  talents.  He 
was  brought  up  under  his  father-in-law, Mr.  James  Walker,  and 
finished  his  studies  at  the  Academy  of  Arts. 


f 

233 

'.riking  eflecl,  though  he  is  far  from  being  faultless  with 
^  cgard  to  his  outlines.'^' 

1  shall  now  introduce  the  reader  into  the  throne- 
liamber,  which  is  seventy  feet  long  and  thirty  wide, 
t  was  perfectly  well  fitted  up,  and  the  sight  of  it  created 

nect  and  confidence.    I  shall  not  sjSeak  of  the  hang- 

^, .  of-^-feen  velvet  embroidered  with  gold,  nor  of  the 
r^nificent  furniture,  nor  the  colossal  sto\  e,  twenty-six 
cct  in  height,  and  almost  covered  with  bronze.  The 
hrone  was  covered  with  red  veKet  richly  worked 
n  gold.  On  the  back  were  displayed  the  arnis  of  Russia, 
un  ounded  with  those  of  the  kingdoms  of  Kasan  and  As- 
rakhan,  of  Siberia  and  Great  Russia.  In  various  niches, 
lirectly  opposite  to  the  throne,  and  over  the  doors,  were 
i!led  with  antique  basts  of  Juhus  Caisar,  Antoninus  Pius, 
^iicius  Verus,  and  others.  Above  these  appeared  colossal 
lies  of  Justice,  Peace,  Victory,  and  Glory  ;  and  round 
chambers  were  displayed  tlie  arms  of  all  the  pro- 

ices  subject  to  the  Russian  sceptre,  seventj  -six  in  num- 
.  r,  emblematically  representing  the  diiferent  inhabitants 
A  tins  vast  empire.  It  must  be  confessed,  that  these  de- 
:.):  ations,  which  were  invented  by  the  Tvlonarch  himself, 
ould  not  have  been  better  chosen,  and  they  manifested, 
.vhatever  the  world  may  choose  to  say,  the  noble  and 
.hivalrous  spirit  that  animated  his  breast. 

Among  4he  superb  furniture  of  this  chamber,  a  looking- 
;:;'!ass,  the  largest  in  the  palace,  is  worthy  of  notice.  It 
s  of  one  single  plate,  nearly  twelve  feet  in  height  and 
<even  wide.  There  are  likewise  three  magniticenl  ta- 
bles worthy  the  admiration  of  the  curious,  one  ofrerde 
'iiitico,  and  the  others  of  oriental  green  porphyry.  Each 
of  these  is  upwards  of  six  feet  long  and  two  feet  wide  ; 
they  are  supported  by  brass  and  bronze  columns  four 
fcoi  high.  A  vast  sconce  of  bronze  hung  from  the  ceil- 
ing, which  is  decorated  with  two  allegorical  paintings, 
very  indifferently  executed,  by  Varcliani,    Th§  banner 

*  The  Emperor's  funeral  decorations  have  since  been  erected 
lu  this  room. 


U  * 


^234 

of  the  Order  of  Malta  was  introduced  into  both  these  i 
tares. 

From  the  throne-chamber  we  pass  Into  the  Arabe^ 
gallery,  through  a  door  placed  between  two  beautir 
doric  pillars  ct"  oriental  porphyry,  which  w^ere  purchase 
at  Rome.    On  the  cornice  stood  the  busts  of  Mar< 
-Aurelius,  with  several  large  vases  of  red  Siberian  p< 
phyry.    Five  niches  were  filled  with  as  many  statu< 
copied  in  Italy  from  antiques,  and  representing  the 
nus  de  Medici,  Antinous  Germanicus,  the  Apollo 
Florence,  and  die  Venus  Callipvgia.    The  architectuii 
of  this  gallery  is  in  the  style  ol  the  famous  chamber 
Raphael  at  the  Vatican,  and  like  that  wholly  ornanier 
ed  with  arabesques  in  different  colours,  by  Pietro  Scot 
the  figures  were  painted  by  Vigfii  ;  the  work,  howev< 
remains  unfinished. 

From  this  room  we  pass  through  a  large  glass  d( 
into  the  laocoon  gallery,  so  called  from  the  celebrated 
group  of  that  name,  copied  at  Rome  from  the  original,! 
composed  of  one  single  block  of  marble  w  ithout  spot  oil 
vein,  and  transported  to  Petersburg  without  the  least  ac- 
cident. 

The  walls  are  decorated  with  four  superb  Gobelirwl 
hangings,  tvvelve  feet  square,  representing  Saint  Petei\ 
fishing — -Jesus  driving  the  buyers  and  sellers  out  of  tki\ 
te?nple — The  Besurrecfion  of  Lazarus,  and  Marj/  Mag' 
dalene  anointing  the  feet  of  our  Saviour.  Two  groupjl 
taken  from  ancient  fable,  form  a  strange  contrast  witht 
the  above  scriptural  j  ubjects  :  these  are  copies  by  Pacetti 
from  the  celebrated  Cunova  of  Diana  and  Endj/inion,  and 
Cupid  and  Psyche.  At  one  glance  the  eye  catches  the 
figure  of  Jesus  Christ  and  that  of  the  perpetual  sleeper. 

Over  the  doors  are  tw^o  pictures  ^yDallera  of  Rome,  in 
wax  colours;  the  subjects  are,  Ulysses  finding  Penelope, 
and  Hector  taking  leaie  of  Andromache.  They  are  al- 
ready damaged  by  the  dampness  of  their  position ;  th< 
latter  is  almost  cracked  in  two. 

T  shall  not  speak  of  the  valuable  tables  of  breccia  anCi 
oriental  alabaster,  the  chairs  of  velvet,  the  various  bronzes 
all  executed  at  Paris,  Sec,    I  shall  only  mention  somfl 


235 

If  the  innumerable  clocks  that  were  to  be  seen  all  ov^ef 
jie  palace.  In  this  room  there  was  one,  in  which  the 
)ur  Seasons  were  I'opresentcd  in  bronze  in  a  car  drawn 
y  lions,  and  conducted  by  one  of  the  Genii.  The  w  heel 
;3rved  as  a  dial-plate.  The  observer,  by  looking  up- 
wards, would  soon  dis'^ipate  all  the  effect  this  curious 
iecc  of  mechan!«;m  might  have  produced  on  his  mind;, 
!y  the  sight  of  pictures  wliich  disfigure  the  ceiling ;  that 
\\  the  middle,  representing  tlie  Choice  of  Hercules^  is 
jie  least  objectionable  of  the  three  ;  on  the  right  is  Cou- 
age  accompanied  by  Alerit,  on  the  left  Justice  and  Peace 
hibraccns^  each  other ;  these  are  all  painted  by  Smugle- 
'itsch,  an  abortive  Son  of  the  Muses  and  Graces.  It 
iiust  be  observed,  however,  that  the  Emperor  himself 
ad  furnished  (he  subjects  of  this  ceiling;  he  it  was  who 
ssociated  justice  and  peace,  courage'and  merit  together, 
khad  been  well  had  he  committed  the  execution  of  these 
esigns  to  a  more  able  hand.  But  such  was  his  general 
onduct.  The  source  of  his  actions  was  always  pure  and 
enevolent,  but  the  agents  of  his  intentions  were  fre- 
uently  corrupt. 

Two  life-guard  subalterns  st^od  centinel,  with  spon- 
X)ns  in  their  hands,  at  the  entrance  of  an  oval  apart- 
lent,  in  which  sixteen  Corinthian  columns  of  slucccr 
ipported  an  attic,  the  ceiling  of  whi^h  rested  upon  as 
lany  caryatides,  executed  by  Albani.  '  Five  allegorical 
ass-re!iefs,  that  set  all  explanation  at  defiance,  filled  up 
ie  intervals.  The  furniture  of  this  room  was  of  flame- 
oloured  velvet,  worked  on  silver,  which  produced  a 
ne  effect. 

The  ceiling,  painted  by  Vigjii,  and  of  s  different  des- 
ription  from  those  just  mentioned,  represents  the  Gods 
1  Olympus.  Jupiter  seems  to  be  absorbed  in  a  flood  of 
lory,  and  the  whole  coYnposition  bespeaks  the  hand  of 

distinguished  artist. 

Near  this  apartment  is  the  Marble  Hall,  the  guard- 
ouse  of  the  Knights  of  Malta,  which  measures  ninety 
t  in  length,  thirty  in  breadth,  and  near  forty -two  in 
,J  t.    The  architecture  is  composed  of  two  different 
,'racrs ;  the  walls  are  divided,  as  high  as  the  attic,  into 


236 


vast  compartments,  decorated  with  breccia  Carolina 
Gtuorciy  ai)d  black  Porto- Venese  marble.  The  long  a 
flat  sconces  ot"  polished  bronze,  which  are  fixed  atproj 
distances  in  the  walls,  produced  a  good  effect  upon  1 
black  ground.  ,  At  one  end  of  the  wall  is  an  orches 
oF  white  marble,  surrounded  by  a  balustrade  of  polisl 
bronze,  on  which  were  ranged  ten  large  vase  chan 
liers.  The  ceiling  was  naked,  a  Parnassus  was  tl 
painting  at  Rome  to  cover  it. 

A  large  nicl.e,  formed  and  supported  by  two  sup 
Ionic  columns  of  Siberian  marble,  divided  the  hall  ii 
two  equal  parts.     A  chimney-piece  of  white  marfe 
sustained  by  four  termes,  and  incrusted  with  lapis  laz 
and  agate,   is  constructed  in  this  niche.     Two  otl 
rhimnies  are  built  on  each  side,  in  similar  niches,  j( 
attord  fine  specimens  of  gipolino  antico,  a  rare  marble 
resembling  green  petrified  wood.     The  niches  weni 
adorned  with  statues,  copied  at  Rome  from  the  antique 
representing  Bacchus,  Mercury,  Flora,  and  Venus.  ]! 
pass  over  the  clocks,  sconces,  vases,  small  statues,  anc 
all  the  curious  iDrnaments  in  bronze,  which  contributed 
to  the  decoration  of  the  apartment.  i 

At  one  end  of  this  hall  is  a  grand  niche  formed  by  tw« 
large  Ionic  columns,  and  containing  a  door-way,  througi 
which  we  pass  into  the  circular  throne-chamber. 

Sixteen  Atlases  of  colossal  size  sustain  the  dome.  Tht 
walls  are  Inmg  with  red  velvet  embroidered  with  gold! 
and  decorated  with  gilt  carvings.  The  windows  ar 
concealed  by  curtains  of  the  same  stuff,  except  one,  whici 
is  composed  of  a  single  pane  of  glass,  and  framed  in  soli( 
silver.  The  throne  differs  in  no  respect  from  that  al 
ready  described,  except  in  the  number  of  steps,  tb 
former  being  composed  of  eight,  and  this  of  only  thr« 
One  sconce  of  nine,  and  eight  otiiers  of  seven  feet  i| 
height,  ornamented  this  apartment;  they  were  all  (; 
massy  silver,  highly  polished,  worked  in  one  piece,  an| 
were  purchased  at  the  manufactory  of  the  ingenious  M| 
Buch,  Counsellor  of  State  in  the  kingdom  of  Denmarl 
The  ceiling,  which  is  painted  in  camacin  and  gold,  intei 
mixed  with  arabesques,  was  executed  by  Carlo  Scoii» 


.  237 

!  Some  time  before  his  death,  the  Emperor  had  ordered 
everal  alterations  to  be  made  in  this  room.  The  red 
relvet  hangings  were  to  have  been  stripped  off,  to  give 
)Iace  to  others  of  yellow  velvet,  finely  embroidered  in 
ilver.  In  the  corners  v^^ere  to  have  been  placed  large 
oses  of  massy  silver,  with  medallions  and  wreaths  of 
aurel  of  the  same  metal.  The  two  tables,  the  stands, 
he  clocks,  &c.  were  likewise  to  have  been  of  silver,  and 
he  court  goldsmiths  had  already  been  furnished  with 
biirteen  hundred  pounds  weight  of  that  metal  for  this 
)urpose. 

From  this  room  a  door  opens  into  the  inner  apartments 
>f  the  Empress.  The  first  chamber  was  hung  with  ta- 
)estry  of  sky-blue  ground,  upon  which  were  represented  ^ 
various  views  of  the  Castle  of  Pavlofsky.  At  the  bottom 
>f  the  room  is  a  niche  sustained  by  two  superb  Doric 
jolurans  of  porphyry,  before  which  is  placed  the  group 
i'f  Apollo  and  Daphne,  copied  in  Carrara  marble  from 
iJernini.  Vases,  clocks,  tables  of  porphyry,  agate,  ori- 
ental alabaster,  rosso  aittico,  and  bronze,  were  orna- 
pentally  scattered  over  the  chamber.  Paintings  in  wax- 
lolours  by  Dallera  adorned  the  door-tops;  and  the  ceil- 
ng,  as  well  as  most  of  tlie  others  in  the  palace,  was 
•ainted  in  fresco  by  Cadenacci. 

Two  doors  formed  of  mahogany,  rose-wood,  and  ce-' 
!ar,  embossed  with  gilt  carvings,  and  incrusted  with 
vhite  marble,  lapis  lazuli,  and  malachite,  lead  us  into  a 
abinet  as  much  overcharged  with  ornaments  as  the  doors 
hemselves,  and  with  which  the  eye  quickly  grows  dis- 
racted  and  fatigued.  The  walls  are  of  grey  Siberian 
\-  larble,  with  compartments  of  lapis  lazuli,  &c.  and  a 
\  vainscot  of  giallo  and  nero  antico ;  the  cornice  lapis  la- 
uli  with  Hons  heads  in  bronze ;  the  cornice  is  topped 
I'ilh  bass-reliefs  raised  upon  a  polished  golden  ground, 
"he  divans  or  sofas,  the  stools,  and  the  curtains  were" 
.loth  of  gold :  a  niche  w  as  formed  by  two  Corinthian 
iolumns  of  fine  oriental  alabaster  of  entire  pieces;  the 
edestals  incrusted  with  rcrdc  antico  and  lapis  lazuli; 
,iere  was  likewise  a  group  in  white  marble,  representing' 
Ulster  and  Pollux,  the  work  of  Albagini;  and  in  two 


253 

^fnall  niches  the  Tragic  and  the  Comic  Muses, 
chimney-piece  was  of  rerdeantico,  malachite,  and  bronj 
besides  these  were  tables,  vases,  and  small  statues 
agate,  bronze,  &c.  together  with  a  quantity  of  fine  cb 
painted  with  arabesques  in  the  manner  of  Raphael, 
these  and  many  other  articles  which  I  have  not  nam 
were  crowded  into  a  closet  of  twelve  feet  square. 

The  closet  opens  into  the  state  bed-room,  whicl 
more  plainly,  and  therefore  more  agreeably  furnish 
This  chamber  is  very  spacious.  The  walls  are  of  st 
CO,  covered  with  festoons  painted  upon  a  polished  g 
ground. 

The  bed,  which  is  richly  carved  and  gilt,  is  surroui 
ed  by  a  balustrade  of  massy  silver  of  four  hundred 
ninety  pounds  weight.  Over  the  bed  is  a  sky-blue  veil 
canopy,  suspended  by  six  silver  strings.  The  cornice 
supported  by  Corinthian  columns,  and  painted  in 
besque,  upon  a  polished  gold  ground.  The  interstM 
of  the  columns  are  furnished  w^ith  divans  of  blue  velvetl' 
and  vast  looking-glasses,  composed  of  single  plates.  Th 
chimney  is  of  white  Carrara  marble,  with  a  cornice  or 
namented  with  lapis  lazuli,  and  Florentine  Mosaic  worl 
of  amethyst  and  ether  fine  stones,  representing  variou 
kinds  of  fruit  in  the  most  natural  manner.  An  allegori 
eal  ceiling,  indifferently  painted  by  Valcrini,  seemed 
be  very  difficult  to  unravel. 

The  chamber  next  to  th6  state  bed-room  was  fitted  ii 
in  a  plain  style,  and  has  served  at  one  time  for  an  ea' 
ing,  and  at  another  for  a  concert  room.  Besides  t\^ 
chimney-pieces  and  some  porpljyry  vases,  the  room  i 
fords  nothing  remarkable.  It  interested  me  however  e 
ceedingly,  as  it  was  the  play-room  of  the  young  Grai 
Dukes.  I  have  many  times  found  them  here;  they  a; 
two  lively-f.pirited  princes,  and  extremely  affable  ai^ 
polite  to  all  ranks  of  people.  The  tenderness  of  ti; 
Empress  mother,  whose  soul  is  wrapped  up  in  her  childre: 
had  provided  against  accidents  by  having  caused  piilov 
to  be  piled  against  the  glass  doors  which  open  upon  tl 
balcony,  to  the  height  of  f  our  feet. 


239 


Leaving  thh  apartment  on  the  left,  and  the  common 
I  partnients  of  the  Empress  on  the  right,  we  pass  through 
room  of  no  grand  appearance  into  her  Majesty's  throne- 
hamber.    The  throne  ilself  resembles  that  of  the  Em- 
)cror,  except  that  it  is  less,  and  only  stands  on  a  single 
fep.    A  grand  niche,  sustained  by  two  colossal  carjn- 
ides,  contains  a  fine  chimney-piece  of  white  marble,  re- 
)resenting  the  nine  Muses.    The  splendour  of  the  fur- 
liture  may  be  compared  with  that  of  the  other  cham- 
bers.   I  shall  only  mention  a  beautiful  clock,  represent- 
ng  Phoebus  in  his  car  drawn  by  two  horses,  and  perform^ 
ng  his  diurnal  course.    The  dial-plate  is  fixed  in  the 
wheel  of  the  car,  the  whole  is  highly  finished,  and  ex- 
hibits a  master-piece  of  art.    The  ceiling,  painted  by 
SiJdtenldter,  represents  the  judgment  of  Paris,  and  is  not 
ill  done.    Of  the  same  description  are  the  pictures  by 
Bessoiiqff',  a  scholar  of  tlie  Academy  of  Arts  at  Peters- 
bu  g,  which  are  placed  over  the  doors,  and  represent 
Painting,  Sculpture,  and  Architecture. 

On  one  side  of  the  throne-chamber  is  the  gallery  of 
Raphael,  so  called  from  four  magnificent  pieces  of  ta- 
pestry, which  almost  cover  a  wall  of  seventy-two  feet  in 
length.  These  are  copies  of  four  well-known  pictures 
by  Raphael  in  the  Vatican.  Constantine  haranguing 
Uroops  on  the  day  he  gave  battle  to  Maxentius.  Belio- 
\dorus  driven  out  of  t/ie  temple;  the  famous  School  of 
'  Athens,  and  the  no  less  i'dnwou'i  Parnassus,  in  which  Apollo 
plays  on  a  modern  violin.  I  refer  the  reader  to  M. 
Ramdohr's  able  description  of  these  pictures,  before  everi 
the  copies  of  which  I  have  passed  many  an  hour  in  silent 
admiration.  A  large  ceiling-piece,  and  two  small  ones, 
painted  by  Mettenleiter,  deserve  attention ;  that  in  the 
middle  represents  the  temple  of  Minerva,  upon  the  steps 
of  which  the  liberal  arts  are  grouped ;  the  Greek  that 
represents  architecture  is  a  portrait  of  ^m?«ff ;  B-wdMet" 
tenleiter  has  depicted  himself  in  the  allegorical  figure  that 
personates  painting.  The  subjects  of  the  two  small 
ceilings  are  Prometheus  animating  man,  and  Idleness  and 
Industry.  This  gallery  is  adorned  likewise  with  iini^ 
bronzes^  marble  chimney-pieces,  &c. 


240  - 

The  gallery  leads  to  an  oblong  saloon,  in  which  are 
a  very  fine  antique  statue  o\'  Bacchus^  and  a  modern  star^ 
tue,  perhaps  a^  line,  of  Diana,  executed  by  Hnudnn. — 
The  whole  room  is  filled  with  busts,  bass-reliefs,  sarco- 
phagi, antique  vases,  &c.  of  very  different  degrees  of 
merit. 

This  saloon  lies  contiguous  to  the  guard-hall,  where 
a  de';achment  of  horse  always  remained  on  duty.  The 
room  merely  exhibits  four  Ionic  columns,  and  a  ceilings 
piece  by  Sniuglevitsch,  in  which  Curtius  leaps  into  tn« 
gulf  in  a  very  aukvvard  manner. 

We  are  now  upon  the  grand  stair-case  again,  aftqr! 
having  gone  through  the  state  chambers  of  the  Emperof ' 
and  limpress,  to  tlie  right  and  to  the  left.  On  »he  8th! 
of  November,  1800,  his  Imperial  Majesty  celebiate4, 
the  inauguration  of  ihe  palace  with  the  greatest  pomp,' 
He  dined  for  the  first  time  in  this  edifice,  and  gave  a 
grand  ma^^ked  ball  to  the  public,  during  which  all  the 
apartments  which  I  have  de-cribed  were  thrown  open,! 
and  lighted  up  with  several  thousand  wax  candles.  ! 

The  reader  will  doubtless  be  curious  to  be  acquainted ' 
with  the  rooms  which  the  Emperor  and  Empress  com- 
monly inhabited.  From  Raphael's  gallery  a  door  opened 
into  the  apartments  x)f  the  monarch  :  an  anti-chamber ' 
plainly  painted,  had  no  other  ornament  than  seven  pic*- 
tures  by  Charlts  VaiUoo,  representing  the  legends  of  Saint 
Gregory.  i 

The  second  room,  inlaid  with  white  and  stripes  of 
gold,  was  decorated  with  fine  landscapes^  and  several 
yiews  of  the  palac  e  itself.  The  ceiling  had  a  very  strike 
ing  effect;  it  was  painted  by  Tiepoln,  and  represented 
Mark  Antony  and  Cleopatra  dissolving  the  pearl  in  vine* 
gar.  The  ignorance  of  the  painter  has  committed  se- 
veral ridiculous  faults  against  costume. 

In  the  third  apartment  the  walls  are  almost  entirely 
covered  by  six  landscapes,  painted  by  Martinrf,  which 
exhibit  views  of  the  palaces  of  Gatschina  and  Pavlofsky. 
Six  elegant  mahogany  cases^  upon  which  are  fixed  twenty 
beautiHil  vases  of  porphyry,  oriental  dabaster,  &:c.  contain 
tlie  Emperor's  private  library.    This  room  was  the  pojt 


-241 

ij"  his  Majesty's  body  hussar.  A  back  door  leads  from 
jsnce  inU)  a  kitchen  which  supplies  the  table  of  the  mon- 
ch,  and  in  which  he  had  designedly  eslabUshed  a  Ger- 
an  conk,  who  always  dressed  his  victuals.  He  had 
.tely  fitted  up  a  similar  kitchen  near  his  own  apart- 
lents  at  the  zvinter  palace.  Where  is  the  man,  who, 
;ith  all  these  precautions  (perhaps  very  necessary  ones) 
iijuld  envy  the  condition  of  the  most  powerful  monarch 
ipon  earth  ? 

Another  private  door  opens  into  a  small  room  intend- 
;i  for  the  body-hussars,  and  which,  communicating  with 
winding  stair-case,  since  become  very  celebrated,  lead* 
:  ito  the  court,  through  a  door  guarded  by  a  single  cen- 
nel. 

\  From  the  library  we  pass  Immediately  into  the  Em- 
eror^s  bed-chamber,  in  which  likewise  he  chiefly  re- 
tained during  the  day,  and  in  which  he  died.  The 
)0m  is  very  large,  being,  if  I  mistake  not,  between 
lirty  and  forty  feet  square.  The  walls  are  wainscotted 
I  white,  and  were  hung  with  a  great  number  of  land- 
rapes,  the  greater  part  by  Vernet,  some  by  Wouvermann, 
id  Vunder  Meulen.  In  the  middle  of  the  chamber,  be- 
nd a  screen,  stood  a  small  camp  bed  without  curtains, 
'ver  the  bed  was  an  angel  (nbt  a  guardian  ox\e)hy Guido 
mi.  In  one  corner  hung  the  portrait  of  an  ancient 
.light  banneret,  painted  by  ^ean  le  Due,  which  the  Em- 
3ror  greatly  valued.  * 

I  A  bad  picture  of  Frederick  II.  on  horseback,  and  a 
ell-known  plaister-figure  of  that  monarch,  placed  in  a 
)rner  upon  a  marble  pedestal,  formed  a  strange  contrast 
!ith  these  magnificent  pictures. 

The  Emperor's  writing  table  was  remarkable  in  more 
an  one  respect.    It  was  fixed  upon  four  ivory  pillars 

the  Ionic  order,  with  bronze  bases,  and  capitals.  An 
cry  edge  of  fine  workmanship,  ornamented  with  small 
uses  of  the  same,  was  fixed  to  it.  Two  chandeliers 
ith  ivory  branches  inserted  in  blocks  of  am.ber,  display- 

II  four  paste  medallions,  in  the  manner  of  Leberecht, 
j  presenting  the  Emperor,  the  Empress,  the  two  Grand 
iukes  and  the  Grand  Duchess  Elizabeth.    The  table- 


X 


242 


1 


and  the  candlesticks  were  the  work  of  the  Emprc 
that  princess,  who  patronizes  the  arts  and  cultiva' 
thcni  with  success,  turned  the  ivory  with  her  own  hai 
and  formed  the  pastes. 

On  one  of  the  walls  hung  pictures  representing  ai 
the  different  regimentals  of  the  Russian  army. 

A  report  has  been  a  thousand  times  repeated,  that| 
Emperor  had  a  trap-door  in  his  bed-room,  together 
several  prn^ate  doors:  I  am,  however, enabled  to  decl 
and  maintain  the  falsity  of  such  assertion.    The  maj 
tirent  carpet  that  covered  the  floor  rendered  the  vi 
existence  of  such  a  door  impossible;  neither  did 
stove  stand  upon  feet,  and  consequently  there  was] 
hollow  place  under  it,  as  has  been  likewise  pretend^ 
There,  were  indeed  two  concealed  doors  in  there 
but  one  of  them  led  to  a  corner  that  served  for  a 
known  use,  and  the  other  shut  up  a  recess  in  which 
swords  of  such  officers  as  W'cre  under  arrest  were  del 
sited.    The  folding  doors  between  the  Emperor's  chi 
her  and  the  apartments  of  the  Empress  remained  shuts 
bolted  on  both  sides. 

The  passage  from  the  bed-chamber  to  the  library 
ilirnished  with  double  doors,  and  on  account  of  thegr^ 
tiiickiiess  of  the  walls,  there  Avas  space  enough  betw( 
them  for  the  construction  of  two  private  ones  ;  in  fad| 
there  vyere  two:  that  on  the  right,  shut  up  a  dark  closej 
where  the  imperial  colours  were  kept;  and  that  on  th[ 
left  opened  upon  a  back  stair-case  which  led  to  the  E.ni| 
peror's  apartments  on  the  ground  floor. 

Contiguous  to  this  stair -case  we  enter  a  large  wair 
^.cotted  chamber,  in  one  of  the  walls  of  which  was  fiKe 
an  old  clock,  made  at  Dresden  by  Dinglinger,  in  1714 
Three  silver  hands  point  out  the  hour,  the  temperatur 
of  the  air,  and  the  direction  of  the  wind.  This  cloci 
bad  formerly  stood  in  the  garden  of  Peter  the  Great. 

From  hence  we  step  into  a  circular  closet  in  wHicj 
^tood  two  Italian  statues,  a  Vesta, and  a  wom^n  sacrifici 
ing :  besides  these  was  a  statue  of  Apollo,  which  m 
wrought  at  the  Academy  of  Arts  at  Petersburg;  an 
likewise  a  collection  of  fine  vases  of  Seve-porcelain' 
and  g,  valuable  tabic  of  rossa  antico. 


243 


^he  next  room,  which  is  likewise  vvainscotted,  con- 
•ained  an  embroidered  portrait  of  Peter  the  Great,  of 
jxquisite  workmanship, several  fine  vases  of  Seve-manu- 
^actorv,  and  some  of  the  height  of  a  rtian,  made  at  the 
iianufactory  of  Petersburg. 

The  last  room,  and  in  which  the  Emperor  usually 
transacted  business,  was  wainscotted  with  walnut  tree, 
md  bordered  with  varnished  carved  festoons.  The 
:ompartments  were  ornamented  with  pagan  divinities 
5urrounded  with  garlands,  on  which  various  kinds  of 
birds  were  perched.  The  general  effect  of  this  room 
was  soft  and  agreeable;  the  furniture  was  superb,  par- 
Hcularly  a  chest  of  drawers,  the  work  of  the  famous  » 
Rontegen,  of  Neuwied.  A  little  monument  that  stood 
on  a  table,  bearing  this  inscription — Mary  the  21  Jlpril, 
1791,"'^  was  probably  the  work  of  the  Empress.  A 
breakfast  service  of  porcelain  of  the  Petersburg,  manu- 
factory, which  stood  in  this  room,  and  on  which  were 
painted  several  views  of  the  palace  of  Michailoff,  afford- 
ed new  proof  of  the  Prince's  predilection  for  this  work 
uf  his  own  creation. 

The  w^ay  to  the  Empress's  apartments  lay  through  the 
concert-room  already  described.  A  chamber  of  a  gay 
and  elegant  appearance  communicated  with  a  sfate- 
iroom,  the  walls  of  which  were  of  grey  Siberian  marbk% 
(he  compartments  of  lapis-lazuli  and  porphyry,  the 
borders  of  variegated  marble  richly  ornamented  wi(h 
gilded  bronze.  Antique  busts  were  placed  at  proper 
distances  round  the  walls,  upon  porph)ry  grounds;  the 
pannels  were  of  breccia.  The  chimney-piece  was  sup- 
ported by  alabaster  columns ;  the  frieze  was  of  I'erde 
antico,  dzc.  The  furniture  was  suitably  splendid:  the 
sconce,  which  was  of  the  finest  crystal,  cost  twenty 
thousand  roubles. 

The  Empress's  dressing  and  working  room  lay  con- 
tiguous to  this  stafe  cham.ber.    It  was  wainscottedj  and 
the  book-cases  and  chests  of  drawers  were  of  the  most 
"itiful  mahogany.    A  golden  toilet  caught  the  atten- 


*  The  birth  dav  of  Catherine  II. 


^tion  in  a  less  forcible  degree  than  four  fine  original  pll 
ture^  in  the  same  room,  one  of  vvliich  was  painted  bSl 
Mcrie  Gerard,  the  other  three  hy  Crtuze.    One  of  the 
latter  represents  a  young  girl  being  scolded  by  hei  j 
mother  for  giving  herself  so  much  up  to  love  affairs  aj  I 
to  suffer  her  bird  to  die  for  want  of  food.    Diderot  givei 
an  ample  description  of  this  picture  in  his  treatise  or 
painting.    A  writing-table  stood  in  the  middle  of  the 
room,  and  bore  marks  of  the  noble  and  frequent  use 
that  had  been  made  of  it.    The  Empress,  as  I  have  beer 
told,  lately  slept  in  this  chamber  on  account  of  its  bein| 
perfectly  dry.  j 

The  last  room  is  a  boudoir  or  round  closet,  respleiv 
dent  with  magnificence.  The  walls  were  hung  vvitl 
light  })iue  velvet  richly  embroidered  with  gold  stripes 
and  every  part  ol"  the  chamber  displayed  the  finest  spe 
cimens  of  art,  either  in  bronze,  or  in  lapis-lazuli  anc 
other  valuable  stones.  1  was  particularly  struck  with  5 
large  red  porphyry  vase  standing  upon  a  pedestal  of  the 
same,  intermixed  with  malachite;  the  whole  was  fiv< 
feet  in  height.  The  floor  was  covered  with  a  splendid 
French  carpet. 

This  closet,  which  is  situated  in  a  corner  of  the  palace 
b3hind  the  bed-rooms  of  the  Emperor  and  the  Empress 
connected  those  two  apartments  together  by  a  singN 
wall,  but  of  such  thickness,  that  we  are  not  surprised  he 
Majesty  was  ignorant  of  the  death  of  her  husband  fo; 
some  time  after  the  event. 

Besides  the  Emperor  and  Empress,  the  Grand  Duke^ 
his  consort,  and  a  lady  of  honour,  no  oi^e  lodged  on  thi 
story.  In  the  chamber  of  the  Grand  Duchess  Anne 
remarked  a  time-piece  which  was  inscribed  with  th< 
following  words:  Love  reduced  to  reason.  The  god  ap 
pears  in  fetters,  and  reason  holds  the  fend  of  the  chain 
In  the  presence  of  such  a  beautiful  and  amiable  princess 
the  punishment,  however,  did  not:  seem  at  all  severe 
In  her  husband's  apartment  I  saw  a  copy  of  the  Borg 
hesian  hermaphrodite,  and  one  of  the  Venus  coming  ou 
of  tlie  bath  in  the  Florentine  gallery. 


245 

I  On  the  ground  floor,  there  is  nothing  remarkable  be- 
sides an  unfinished  theatre  and  the  church.  In  the  lat- 
ter, the  choir  is  supported  by  fourteen  Ionic  cokimns 
of  Sherdepol  granite.  The  grand  altar,  which  is  of  an 
octagonal  form,  is  constructed  of  black  and  white  mar- 
ble. Three  doors  led  to  it;  that  in  the  middle  is  of 
massy  silver,  in  open  work,  and  ornamented  with  six 
'  medallions,  painted  on  copper,  by  Professor  Giovenco. 
Over  the  door  are  silver  rays  of  glory;  and  the  whole 
altar  is  incrusted  with  lapis-lazuli  and  bronze.  The  altar- 
piece  represents  the  last  supper,  and  was  painted  by  Aki- 
'  mqff'y  one  of  the  professors  of  the  academy.  On  either  side 
the  middle  door  stands  a  magnificent  Corinthian  column 
of  porphyry,  with  a  bronze  base  and  capital ;  the  pedes- 
tal is  incrusted  with  lapis-lazuli.  Silverlamps  are  hung 
before  various  images,  and  in  the  middle  of  them  ap- 
pears a  golden  one  set  with  brilliants.  The  furlher  end 
of  the  edifice  is  terminated  by  a  large  picture,  alas !  by 
Smiiglevitsch,  representing  the  archangel  Michael,  the 
patron  of  the  church,  hurling  the  devils  headlong  into 
ihe  dark  a]>yss.  The  decorous  artist,  who  was  obliged 
:o  paint  this  group  naked,  has  had  recourse  to  a  singu- 
lar expedient  in  order  to  avoid  giving  the  least  offence 
to  modesty.  Every  devil,  as  if  by  accident,  covers 
either  with  his  hands  or  feet  such  parts  of  the  adjacent 
ficrures  as  the  painter  thought  fit  to  conceal ;  which,  in 
fact,  rather  transgresses  again?^  'han  preserves  decency. 
The  ceiling  of  the  cupola  was  painted  by  Carlo  Scoti, 
^and,  happily  for  the  artist,  his  work  is  almost  defaced  by 
jthe  dampness  of  the  situation.  A  gallery,  containing 
four  separate  pews,  was  erected  on  each  side  of  the  altar 
for  the  use  of  the  imperial  family. 

The  rest  of  the  ground-floor  was  occupied  by  the 
Grand  Duke  Alexander  and  his  consort,  the  young 
iGrand  Duke  Nicolas  Pavlovitsch,  Princess  Gagarin, 
Count  Narischkin,  and  Count  KoteitzofT,  the  Emperor^s 
favourite.    I  shall  confine  myself  to  the  description  of 

■  the  Grand  Duke's  apartments,  which,  though  less  mag- 

■  nificent,  w^ere,  in  my  opinion,  more  agreeable  than  those 
'  on  the  first  story.    At  the  same  time,  I  cannot  but  re- 


246 

member  withgratitudc  the  polite  and  engaging  behavi 
of  every  one  about  that  prince's  person.  The  goodnJ 
of  the  master  had  warmed  the  hearts  of  all  his  attendai| 
and  every  one  of  them  spoke  with  enthusiasm  of  ^ 
noble  pair  they  had  the  honour  to  serve. 

The  dressing-room  of  tiie  Grand  Duchess  Elizab( 
row  reigning  Empress,  was  hung  wilh  rich  Lyoni 
silk.  Two  line  Ionic  columns  of  red  and  white  Oloiy 
jtiarble  ornamented  a  niche,  and  sustained  an  entablati 
decorated  with  antique  busts.  On  each  side  this  re< 
stood  a  statue  of  Carrara  marble;  the  one  represent^ 
a  woman  under  affliction  supporting  her  head  with 
hands;  the  other,  a  young  girl  playing  with  a  dove. 

In  the  same  room  I  remarked  a  table  which  was  ii)I 
with  different  specimens  of  the  marbles  of  the  count| 
and  a  clock  representing  Bacchus  sitting  astride  a  ti 
on  the  head  of  which  the  dial-plate  was  fixed. 

Contiguous  to  this  chamber  was  a  beautiful  clc 
hung  w  ith  looking-glasses.  A  recess,  supported  by  tf 
columns  of  French  marble,  contained  the  divan,*  whic 
together  witli  the  rest  of  the  furniture,  was  oF  un( 
rose-coloured  velvet,  and  had  the  appearance  of  beij 
covered  over  with  fine  lace.  It  is  not  easy  to  descri 
the  pleasing  effect  of  the  whole  closet  and  its  furnitu| 
A  desk  filled  with  books  and  a  piano-forte  made  by  Lor 
man  and  Broderip  showed  that  more  than  one  muse 
taken  up  her  residence  here. 

The  bed-chamber  was  singularly  striking.  Thecc 
partments  of  the  walls  were  half  hung  with  purple 
vet  and  half  with  gold  stuff;  they  were  connected  toj^ 
ther  in  a  serpentine  manner,  and  ran  horizontally  rouiw 
the  room.  The  bed  was  fitted  up  in  the  same  styk 
The  -apartment  contained  several  bronze  and  marblj 
statues,  and  the  whole  had  a  magnificent  effect  withou 
at  all  distracting  or  fatiguing  the  eye.  The  spot  wsMj 
however,  uninhabitable  on  account  of  its  excessive  dainc 
ness,  and  the  Arch-Duchess  had  suffered  considerabl 


*  A  kind  of  sofa  formed  of  mattrasses  piled  one  upo 
iinother. 


247 


.hiring  the  time  she  had  occupied  It.  The  wax-colour- 
(  id  paintings  over  the  doors  are  entirely  defaced, 
n  This  bed-chamber  opened  into  the  saloon  of  antiques, 
which  contained  about  fifty  statues,  several  busts,  sarco- 
phagi, and  other  ancient  monuments.  I  shall  only  men- 
tion the  principal. 

1 .  A  fine  colossal  bust  of  Juno,  two  feet  five  inches 
ligli,  placed  upon  a  sarcophagus  ornamented  with  three 
)a5s-reliefs,  and  containing  an  inscription.    The  first  re- 

,  presents  the  figure  of  a  woman  with  a  floating  robC;, 
lolding  something  in  her  hands,  which  are  lifted  up. 
fvvo  masks  lie  at  her  feet.    The  same  subject  is  repeat- 
ed on  the  other  side.    The  third  bass-relief  represents 
:  Bacchus  crowned  with  bunches  of  grapes,   with  the 
;  nystic  basket,  in  which  a  dog  is  seated,  placed  near  him 
I  )n  the  other  side  appears  a  serpent.    The  inscription 
'uns  thus ; 

I  p.  scANTius  rr. 

(  OLIMPUS 

FECIT.  SIBI.  V.  A.  LXX  SINE  CRIMINE. 
■  VIT^   ET   SCANTI^   ABELE  CONLIBERT, 

OPTIMA   ^DESE.   BENE  MERITS.*" 

2.  A  fine  bust  of  a  young  Apollo  with  flowing  locks. 

3.  A  very  fine  Silenus  about  three  feet  high,  holding, 
n  one  hand  a  cup,  and  in  the  other  bunches  of  grapes. 

1  4.  A  triangular  altar  with  bass-reliefs,,  one  of  which 
i  n  particular  is  remarkable.  It  represents  a  man  wear- 
\  ng  a  pointed  crown.  In  one  haiid  he  holds  a  sword, 
\  n  the  other  a  human  head.  The  other  two  represent  a 
atyr  with  a  cock  and  a  basket  of  fruit,  and  a  female  bac- 
ij^hanalian. 

i  5.  A  sarcophagus  with  goats  heads  and  garlands  of 
Tiiit,  with  two  dead  children  lying  upon  a  proluberant 
)art.'  A  swan  is  likewise  represented  on  the  point  of 
aking  its  flight.    The  inscription  is  as  follows : 

^  *  This  may  be  read  as  follows  :  Publius  Scantius  Pius  Olityiput 
"eck  8ibiy  volventi  annum  Ixx  sine  crimine  vitte,  et  ScantiiZ  Aurelia 
OfUibertte  optimas  de  se  bene  meritee. 


248 


D.  M. 

M.   MUTIUS.   M.   L.  AURILIUS 
AGITATOR. 
FAC.   C  AR  AMANTINIC, 

VIXIT   ANN.  XXXV. 
AGITAVIT   ANN.  XII.* 

6.  A  round  pedestal,  which  probably  supported  a 
rieral  urn.  It  is  encircled  with  a  very  prominent  hi 
relief"  finely  executed,  and  in  high  preservation, 
subject  is  a  vs^ild-boar  hunt.  On  one  side  is  seen 
animal,  and  at  his  feet  a  dying  man  ;  behind  him  are  ti 
hunters  in  mantles :  on  the  other  side  appear  a  nal 
youth  in  a  helmet,  and  a  dog  near  him  ;  and  behind  * 
the  figures  of  two  men.  Aulic  Counsellor  Kohler  tc 
(he  latter  for  Castor  and  Pollux ;  or  the  whole  for^ 
allusion  to  the  dead  person,  which  seems  the  more  nati 
of  the  two.  The  young  man  perhaps  is  represented,] 
one  side,  gaily  setting  out  with  two  of  his  friends  to 
chase,  and  on  the  other,  overthrown  and  killed  by^j 
wild  boar.  The  inscription,  wl.ich  begins  with  thesd 
words,  D.  M.  coRNELi  .  .  .  has  been  mislaid  among  mi 
papers :  all  I  recollect  is,  that  it  contained  no  referenci, 
to  a  hunt. 

7.  A  very  fine  bust  of  Achilles,  which  was  procurer 
from  Greece ;  it  is  three  feet  high,  and  wrought  in  Pa 
rian  marble. 

8.  A  Bacchus  three  feet  two  inches  in  height,  of  ex 
quisite  workmanship.  In  one  hand  he  holds  a  bunch  c 
grapes,  in  the  other  a  cup.  His  shoulders  are  coverei 
with  a  goat-skin  and  crowned  with  ivy.  Upon  the  cip 
pus,  which  stands  in  the  stead  of  a  pedestal,  we  read  th 
following  words : 


*  It  may  be  read  in  this  manner :  Dlis  Manibus.  Marcu 
Mutius  March  Libertiis  Jureliiis,  Agitator  factionis  Ganvnant, 
vie<e,  vixit  anno*  xxky.  agiiavit  annos  xii.  1 


249^ 


D.  M. 

AUTISTIiE. 
TERSIPIDr. 
V.   A.   XX   D.  V. 

ANTISTIA.  APATE. 
SOROR.  GEMELLA. 
FECIT  PIENTISSIM^. 

9.  A  muse  in  meditation  leaning  against  a  roclc.  This 
igure  is  three  feet  nine  in'^hes  high :  the  drapery  i*  ex- 
eedingly  well  executed. 

10.  A  fine  torso  of  Hercules,  three  feet  two  inches 
mg. 

1 1.  A  double  bust  of  the  Indian  bearded  Apollo  and 
kriadne. 

1 2.  A  graceful  bust  of  Marcus  Aurelius. 

Such  are  the  pieces  which  particularly  interest  the 
n;iquarian.  ^ 

The  amateur  of  painting  will  also  find  ample  gratifi- 
lUon  in  this  saloon,  and  will  be  peculiarly  struck  with 
gilt  large  landscapes  by  Chedriu,  containing  views  of 
awlowsk}'',  Gatschina,  and  FeterhofF;  and  hkewise 
ith  two  ceilings  pKiinted  by  /.  P.  Scotiy  which  repre- 
mt  Cephalus  and  Procris,  and  Venus  rising  from  the 

The  apartments  of  the  Grand  Duke  (fhe  present  Em- 
eror)  were  small,  and  less  remarkable  for  the  sumptu* 
iisness  of  their  furniture,  than  for  some  original  pictures 
J  great  value.    Of  tliese  I  shall  only  mention  Achilles 
'  iscovered  by  Ulysses  among  the  women,  the  work  of 
n^elica  Kauffinann ;  a  woman  weeping  over  a  dead 
:)cly,  with  an  angel  at  her  side  pointing  to  Heaven,  by 
ado  Maraiti;  a  Juno  and  a  Diana,  by  Pesca. 
These  apartments  are  contiguous  to  a  fine  bath,  which 
ount  Narischkin  had  fitted  up  with  much  taste  for  the 
ind  Duchess.    The  walls  and  ceiling  are  hung  with 
'in  upon  a  rose-coloured  ground,  and  the  floor  was 
■pread  with  white  cloth.    There  was  a  fountain  that 
cd  on  turning  a  cock.    A  canopy  was  suspei^ed 


Q56 

\ 

6ver  the  bath,  from  wlience  sv/eet-scented  waters 
tilled  at  the  pleasure  of  the  bather.    Other  pipes  in 
duced  warm  water.    One  of  the  walls  was  covered 
a  vast  looking-glass,  and  in  the  shade  of  a  recess,  aT 
ish  sofa  invited  to  repose. 

This  pretty  cabinet  communicated  with  a  vapour-' 
I  know  not,  however,  if  the  beautiful  and  delicate  G 
Duchess  (a  German  by  birth)  was  accustomed  to 
Russian  usage ;  for  my  own  part,  I  think  these  kin 
stoves  detestable  things,  and  I  could  never  prevai 
myself  to  pass  over  the  thre;  lold  of  any  of  them. 

Besides  his  lodging  rooms,  the  Grand  Duke  had 
veral  state  apartments,  and  a  superb  hall  divided  in 
by  an  arcade  supported  by  Ionic  columns  of  white 
ble :  the  hall  was  decorated  with  several  valuable  o 
nal  pictures,  among  which  was  one  painted  by  Reu' 
representing  a  fawn  embraced  by  a  female  bacchanal 
At  one  end  of  the  apartment,  a  second  arcade  is 
structed  upon  four  Ionic  columns,  be'.^/een  which  s 
two  magnificent  statues  of  a  fawn  and  a  bacchanal 
by  Cavaceppi, 

Through  this  hall  we  arrive  at  the  throne  or  audi 
chamber  of  the  Grand  Duke,  the  walls  of  which 
hung  with  purple  velvet  embroidered  with  silver, 
prince  gave  his  audiences  under  a  canopy,  but  not  seate 
and  the  carpet  on  which  he  stood  was  not  raised  abo^ 
the  level  of"  the  floor.  ' 

The  second  story  of  the  palace  was  inhabited  by  tlj 
Grand  Duchesses  Mary  and  Catherine,  with  theCountej 
de  Lie  wen  (heir  g'overness.  Their  apartments  were  If 
superb  than  those  which  have  been  described,  but  wer" 
nevertheless,  extremely  elegant. 

In  the  area  stood  another  guard-house,  containing 
company  of  the  body  guards.  The  report  that  the  nn 
ber  of  such  guards  about  the  palace  was  small,  i-^  d>' 
tute  of  all  foundation,  though  it  was  generally  b: 
and  has  been  every  where  propagatedcr  The  ba 
of  the  edifice  form  a  mere  labyrinth  of  dark  slair-cci 
and  gloomy  corridors,  in  which  lamps  are  continua 
biwjiing  day  and  night.    For  two  or  three  weeks,  i  sto: 


231 


la  need  of  a  guide  to  lead  me  through  these  intricate 
jrnings  and  windings. 

Nothing  could  have  been  more  detrimental  to  health 
ban  a  residence  in  this  palace.  In  every  part,  the  des- 
iructive  effects  of  humidity  were  to  be  observed;  and 
':ven  in  the  apartment  which  contained  the  great  histori- 
ial  pictures,  I  have  seen  ice  an  inch  thick  in  each  corner, 
Jfoni  the  roof  to  tlie  floor,  notwithstanding  the  continual 
jires  that  were  kept  up  in  the  two  chimnies.  The  wain- 
icotling  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress's  apartments  had 
ju  some  degree  counteracted  the  bad  effects  of  cold  and 
moisture ;  but  all  who  occupied  tlie  other  rooms  of  the 
l>alace,  were  materially  affected  in  their  health.  The 
i)alace  was  likewise  extremely  inconvenient  to  all  who 
iiad  business  to  transact  therein.  It  was  continually  ne- 
iessary  to  run  across  the  peristyle,  along  corridors  ex- 

1   d  to  the  air,  or  over  the  open  court.    Few  even  of 
liigher  orders  were  allowed  to  alight  at  the  grand 
lair-case :  almost  every  person  was  obliged  to  stop  at 
ow  door,  and  wander  up  and  down  the  back  stair-cases, 
ill  they  fomid  the  place  they  were  in  quest  of. 

The  Emperor,  however,  was  so  captivated  v^^ith  this 
production  of  his  own  fancy,  that  the  most  dehcate  cen- 
ure  irritated  as  much  as  the  coarsest  panegyric  pleased 
lim.  One  day  he  met  an  elderly  lady  on  the  stair-case  : 
'  These  stairs,''  said  she,  have  been  represented  to 
^le  as  inconvenient ;  but  I  find  they  are  extremely  plea- 
j.ant.''^  His  Majesty  was  so  delighted  with  this  praise, 
,hat  he  kissed  the  old  lady.  All  the  courtiers  knew  how 
i;o  turn  this  disposition  to  their  own  advantage.  Their 
braises  never  ceased ;  and  I  am  well  fnformed,  that  when 
j3very  expression  of  praise,  exclamation,  and  admiration 
j.vere  exhausted,  some  liave  fallen  upon  their  knees  be- 
fore the  bronze  statues,  and  worshipped  them  in  silent 
jxtacy. 

i  Had  I  obeyed  the  repeated  injunctions  c.f  die  Emperor 
j:o  omit  no  trifle  in  my  description,  I  should  have  filled 
\\  large  volume,  and  have  wearied  both  the  reader  and 
jtnyself.  Some  weeks  before  his  deaths  I  presented  his 
jMajesty  with  a  specimen  of  my  labours ;  of  which  he  was 
;pleused  to  express  his  satisfaction. 


252 

There  are  many  palaces  in  the  world  that  contain  a 
greater  number  of  scarce  and  valuable  articles,  but  i\ot 
one  which  has  been  erected,  furnished,  and  inhabite 
within  so  short  a  period  a>  that  of  Michailoff,  which  wi 
completed  in  less  than  toui  years.    A  magnificeut  servi(3 
of  gold,  and  another  of  chma,  ornamented  with  views 
the  palace,  were  not  hi.ished. 

A  few  weeks  afler  the  Emperor's  death,  all  the.val 
able  articles  that  were  moveable,  were  removed  fn 
tliis  palace,  and  placed  in  others,  to  preserve  them  frfl 
the  effects  of  humidity.  At  present  it  is  uninhabi 
and  resembles  a  mausoleum. 


On  the  1 1  th  of  March,  at  one  o'clock,  and  conseque 
ly  about  twelve  hours  before  his  death,  I  saw  the  Empe: 
Paul  for  the  last  time.  I  met  him  on  the  state  stair-cs 
close  to  the  statue  of  Cleopatra.  He  stopped,  as  usu 
and  spoke  to  me.  The  subject  of  our  conversation  W 
the  statue  before  us.  He  called  it  a  fine  copy ;  exami 
the  difTerent  kinds  of  marble  that  composed  the  pedestj 
and  a^ked  me  the  names  of  them :  then  touching  up( 
the  history  of  the  Egyptian  Queen,  he  expressed  his 
miration  of  her  heroic  death.  He  seemed  by  a  smile 
approve  of  a  remark  I  made,  that  she  would  not  ha^ 
destroyed  herself  had  Augustus  yielded  to  the  force 
her  charms.  He  then  asked  me  if  my  description  of 
palace  was, in  much  forwardness.  I  rephed,  that  it  w 
almost  finished;  and  he  left  me,  after  having  observ 
with  great  condescension,  that  he  w-as  happy  to  h^r  it 

My  eyes  ibllowed  him  as  he  ascended  the  steps:  wli^ 
he  arrived  at  the  top,  he  turned  towards  the  okce  wher 
I  was  standing ;  neither  of  us  then  entertained  the  least 
suspicion  that  we  hlad  seen  each  other  for  the  last  time. 
This  interview  made  a  strong  impression  upon  my  mind, 
and  I  have  more  than  once  since  the  Emperor's  death, 
indulged  a  melancholy  contemplation  of  the  statue  ol 
Cleopatra. 


253 


'  On  the  12th  of  March,  early  in  the  morning,  the  ar- 
I  3Ssion  of  the  young  Emperor  to  the  throne  was  an- 
)  ounced.  By  eight  o'clock  the  principal  nobility  had 
i  iready  paid  him  their  homage  in  the  chapel  of  the  Win- 
fer  Palace.  The  people  gave  themselves  up  to  joy, 
I  nd  to  the  free  indulgence  of  those  hopes,  which  the 
i  veil-known  merits  of  the  young  Monarch  so  naturally 
t  .ispired. 

The  first  measures  adopted  by  Alexander,  his  procla- 
na(ion,  the  first  orders  he  issued,  all  tended  to  encourage 
md  confirm  the  confidence  with  which  his  subjects  be- 
leld  him  ascend  the  throne  of  his  forefathers.  He  solemn- 
)  y  promised  to  tread  in  the  step<»  of  Catherine  II.  of  glo- 
t  ious  memory  ;  he  allowed  every  one  to  dress  according 
I  o  his  own  fancy  ;  exonerated  the  inhabitants  of  the  capi- 

! al  from  the  troublesome  duty  of  alighting  from  their  car- 
riages at  the  approach  of  any  of  the  Imperial  family;  dis- 
-nissed  the  Court- Advocate,  who  was  universally  and 
ustly  detested;  suppressed  the  Secret  Inquisition,  that 
had  become  the  scourge  of  die  country  ;  restored  to  the 
Senate  its  former  authority;  and  set  at  liberty  the  state 
iprisoners  in  the  fortress.  What  a  spectacle  to  see  these 
unfortunate  people  released  from  captivity,  mute  with 
isurprise  at  their  delivery,  taking  their  happiness  for  a 
(dream,  and  with  trembling  steps  seeking  their  respective 
homes ! 

I  saw  an  old  Colonel  of  the  Cossacks  and  his  son  brought 
ifrom  the  fortress  to  Count  de  Pahlen's  apartments.  The 
(Story  of  this  generous  youth  is  extremely  interesting. 
;His  father  had  been  dragged,  for  I  know  not  what  ot- 
tfence,  from  Tscherkask  to  Petersburg,  and  there  closely 
imprisoned.    Soon  afterwards  his  son  arrived,  a  hand- 
s^n^  and  brave  young  man,  who  had  obtained  in  the 
!' reign  of  Catherine  II.  the  cross  of -St.  George,  and  that 
oi  Wolodimer.    For  a  long  while  he  exerted  himself  to 
prociirts.his  father's  enlargement  by  solicitations  and  pe- 
titions; tiut  perceiving  no  hopes  of  success,  he  request- 
ed, as  a  jiarticular  favour,  to  be  allowed  to  share  hi^ 
I  captivity  a^nd  misfortunes.     This  was  in  part  granted 
I  biiT ;  he  li-as  committed  a  prisoner  to  the  fortress,  but 


254 

was  not  permitted  to  see  his  father ;  nor  was  the  unfor- 
tinjate  old  man  even  informed  that  his  son  was  so  neaii 
him.  On  a  sudden  the  prison  bolts  were  drawn,  the 
doors  were  opened,  his  son  rushed  into  his  arms ;  and  he' 
not  only  learnt  that  he  was  at  liberty,  but  at  the  same^ 
time  was  informed  of  the  noble  sacrifice  which  filial  piety 
had  offered.  He  alone  can  decide  which  information' 
gave  him  most  delight.  I  saw  him  several  mornings 
together  in  Count  de  Pahlen's  audience  chamber;  he 
still  wore  his  long  beard,  reaching  down  to  his  waist' 
He  commonly  sat  in  the  recess  of  a  window,  with  down- 
cast eyes,  and  without  paying  the  least  attention  to  the^ 
bustle  of  the  surrounding  scene.  His  son,  whose  noble' 
countenance  shone  more  resplendent  from  the  conscious*' 
ness  of  his  own  heroism,  than  did  his  breast  decorated' 
by  the  two  orders  which  he  wore,  walked  about  the  room 
and  conversed  with  his  acquaintances. 

The  audience  chamber  was  indeed  a  rich  field  of  ob» 
servation  to  a  looker-on  at  all  conversant  with  the  humajj! 
heart ;  and  though  I  had  no  particular  business  there,  I 
continued  to  pass  several  hours  on  the  spot  every  morning;' 
nor  did  I  ever  leave  the  groups  that  surrounded  raci 
without  having  added  to  my  stock  of  this  species  of  know* 
ledge.  By  way  of  contrast  to  the  affecting  scene  I  have 
just  related,  I  shall  give  the  reader  an  anecdote  of  a  live» 
lier  cast :  It  happened,  I  think,  the  day  after  the  Em^ 
peror*s  death.  The  room  was  extremely  full;  there 
were  probably  some  hundreds  present :  I  was  warming 
myself  at  a  stove,  when  suddenly  there  ^yas  a  great  mur* 
mur,  and  the  company,  one  after  another,  all  rushed  to 
the  windows,  and  kept  looking  into  the  street  as  if  some- 
thing very  wonderful  had  happened.  Curiosity  at  length 
drew  me  from  the  stove;  it  was  with  difficulty  I  could 
share  the  interesting  spectacle.  At  length  I  got  through 
the  crowd,  and  what  was  the  mighty  affair  ?  Why  '-fuly, 
the  first  round  hat  that  had  passed  by.  This  rrund  hall 
appeared  to  make  more  impression  upon  th*--  minds  o|t 
the  company,  than  even  the  liberation  of  the  s'-atc  prison-^ 
ers  had  done:  nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  cheerftt| 
aughing  countenances.    Such  creatures  are  inen  ! 


255 


*  1  have  long  wished  to  inform  the  reader,  that  the  first 
ays  of  the  reign  of  Alexander  the  Clement,  afforded  me 
je  most  delicious  enjoyments.  In  the  course  of  this 
arrative,  I  have  often  been  drawn  into  many  heart- 
ending  recollections.  I  now  come  to  one  that  over- 
irhelms  me  with  delight.  The  Senate,  by  command  of 
ie  young  Monarch,  printed  and  distributed  three  se- 
arate  lists  of  the  names  of  the  exiles  recalled  from  Sibc- 
ia.  No  sooner  had  I  heard  of  this,  than  I  dispatched 
ly  servant  to  procure  a  copy.  IVIy  eye  ran  over  it  in 
aste,  till,  dimmed  with  tears  of  joy,  it  fell  upon  the 
ame  of  SokolofF.  Yes !  he  obtained  his  liberty ;  and, 
t  the  moment  in  which  I  am  writing  this,  is  restored  to 
is  wife  and  children  !  May  he,  like  me,  have  found  thejji 
II  well !  and  of  his  long  and  painful  dream,  may  nothing 
imain  but  the  recollection  of  the  companion  of  his  mis- 
•rtune,  and  the  sentiment  of  friendship  which  united  us 
nder  our  common  afflictions. 

M.  de  Kiniakoff  and  his  brothers,  M.  Beecher  of  Mos- 
)w,  and  many  more  of  my  acquaintances,  were  includ- 
•1  in  the  same  list.    The  most  remarkable  case  of  all 

as  that  of  M.  S  ,  a  clergyman.    He  had  fallen 

!  to  the  infernal  snares  of  M.  Turaanski,*  the  atrocious 

ensor  of  Riga.    Although  M.  S   probably  in- 

nds  to  publish  his  story,  I  think  myself  warranted  to 
late  it  to  the  reader,  as  I  have  the  particulars  from  very 
)od  authority. 

M.  S— — ,  minister  of  a  parish  in  the  neighbour- 
)od  of  Depart,  hkd  collected  a  small  library  for  the  use 
his  flock.    Tumanski  having  been  made  Counsellor 
the  Province,  and  being  desirous  of  giving  proofs  of 

;  s  vigilance  and  zeal,  applied  to  M.  S  for  a 

talogue  of  his  books.  The  pastor,  intimidated  by  the 
mplection  of  the  times,  replied,  that  he  had  discontinued 
2  reading  society,  and  such  was  in  fact  his  intention. 

•  The  reader  niust  not  confound  his  name  with  that  of  a  dis- 
'  elation  of  his,  M.  Tumanski,  Counsellor  of  State,  and 
-  of  the  censorship  at  Petersburg,  a  person  who  never  caused 
|y-  one  to  be  unhappy,  and  who  has  the  reputation  of  beinj  a, 
U  informed  polite  man. 


256 


It  wa-.,  however,  netrcssary  to  collect  the  various  books 
that  were  in  circulation,  which,  within  a  few,  he  had 
been  able  to  effect.  Among  that  number  was  a  small 
volume  written  by  Augustas  Lafontaine,  and  entitled 
The  Power  rf  Love.  Not  recollecting  to  whom  he  had 
lent  the  book,  and  still  unwilling  to  lose  it,  he  had  re~ 
course  to  the  usual  way  of  advertisement,  and  inserted 
in  the  Dopart  Gazette  a  request,  that  the  person  wbo 
had  this  volume  in  his  possession,  which  made  parti 
the  circulating  library,  would  have  the  goodness  to 
tarn  it. 

The  advertisement  unhappily  fell  into  the  hands  of  i 
Tumanski.  •  It  is,  however,  confidently  asserted,  t' 
the  intentions  of  that  wretch  were  less  inimical  to 

S  ,  than  to  M.  de  Nagel,  the  w^orthy  Gover 

of  Livonia,  to  whom  he  bore  a  secret  enmhy,  on 
count  of  some  pretended  offence.  He  reported  the  bi 
•j-jess  to  his  friend  and  patron,  Obuljaninoff,  with  the: 
dition  of  many  aggravating  circumstances.  The  Ia< 
communicated  it  to  the  Emperor,  with  further  aggra^ 
tions.  In  a  word,  the  clergyman  was  accused  of  havi 
continued  his  circulating  library  in  spite  of  the  warni 
given  by  the  Censor ;  and  of  endeavouring  to  propa^ 
dangerous  principles  among  his  readers,  by  furnish 
them  with  prohibited  Jacobinical  books,  while  in  facti 
catalogue  of  forbidden  books  at  all  existed.  This  ccfft' 
duct  was  represented  to  the  Prince  in  such  a  false  am 
odious  point  of  view,  that  he  gave  orders  that  the  mini 
ter  should  be  immediately  arrested  and  brought  to  Pc 
tersburg ;  M.  Tumanski  having  previously  surroum" 
his  house  with  a  detachment  of  soldiers,  and  caused^ 
his  books  to  be  publicly  burned. 

When  Tumanski  set  out  to  execute  his  agreeable  c( 
mission,  the  whole  city  of  Riga  interceded  in  behalf^ 
this  unfortunate  family,  and  conjured  him  to  do  GVi 
thing  in  his  power  to  save  them  from  ruin.    He  promise 
tliis;  but,  as  it  may  be  well  supposed,  took  care  nut  1 
keep  his  word.    l\\  the  dead  of  the  night,.the  troops  u 
(Icr  the  command  of  the  noble  Censor  beset  the  pars'  ■ 
liouse,  while  the  peaceful  inhabitants  were  fust  ( 


257 


What  must  their  surprise  have  been  on  waking?  Every 
ivenue  was  stopped  up ;  an  inventory  was  instantly  taken 
)f  the  good  man's  papers,  and  seals  put  upon  them ;  all 
.he  books,  the  bible  not  excepted,  were  piled  in  a  heap 
md  committed  to  Ihe  flames.  The  unhappy  minister 
limself  was  hurried  into  a  kibick,  and  conducted  by  an 
)fficer  of  the  police  to  Petersburg. 

Towards  day-break,  when  he  had  recovered  a  little 
rom  his  first  astonishment,  he  requested  his  guard  to 
1  lUow  him  to  write  a  few  lines  to  his  wife.  The  perfidi- 
)us  man  pretended  to  yield  to  his  entreaties,  and  even 
lindertook  to  put  the  letter  into  the  post-office ;  he  de- 
ained  it,  however,  and  on  his  arrival  in  the  capital,  de- 
livered it  into  the  hands  of  the  Court- Advocate.  The 
letter  contained,  besides  some  very  natural  complaints,  a 
I'eqaest,  that  his  wife  would  quiet  ihe  minds  of  his  purish" 
\oners  till  his  return;  from  which  it  was  inferred,  that 
le  had  already  incited  the  peasants  to  revolt,  and  that 
hey  only  waited  the  return  of  their  ringleader  to  rise  up 
n  arms.  Others  say,  he  had  requested  his  wife  to  burn 
ome  letters  of  a  friend  of  his,  with  whom  he  had  forraer- 
y  corresponded,  and  which  contained  some  remarks  up- 
m  the  French  revolution ;  and  that  a  chasseur  had  really 
)een  sent  to  arrest  this  friend,  who,  very  happily  for 
limself,  had  been  dead  several  years. 

Whatever  it  miglit  have  been,  the  whole  matter  was 
eprcsented  in  such  black  colours  by  the  Court-Advocate, 
t.hat  the  Prince  instantly  ordered  the  tribunal  to  condemn 

iVI.  S  to  corporal  punishment,  and  afterwards  to 

)e  sent  to  the  mines  of  Siberia.  The  judges  were  un» 
ler  no  small  embarrassment  in  consequence  of  this  in- 
unction. The  sentence,  which  in  the  natural  order  of 
hings  ought  to  result  from  examination  and  evidence, 
vas  prescribed  to  them  before-hand,  and  the/feU  them- 
lelves  reduced  to  the  situation  of  executive  agents.  The 
President  ventured  to  remonstrate  to  the  Court-Advocate 
)n  this  point,  who  coldly  replied,  that  the  Judges  might 
near  what  hazard  they  pleased ;  but  that  for  his  part, 
le  knew  the  will  of  the  Emperor. 

Y  a. 


253 


The  unfortunate  minister,  then  in  the  fortress, 
one  morning  ordered  instantly  to  put  on  his  robes, 
accoinpany  M.  de  MarakofF  to  the  public  tribunal, 
order  to  liear  his  sentence  pronounced. 

Full  of  hope,  and  the  more  so  as  he  had  been  dir< 
fo  appear  in  his  sacerdotal  habit,  he  set  out  to  meet 
fate.  When  he  arrived  in  court,  he  was  placed  withi 
back'  against  the  wall,  and  the  Secretary  began  to  n 
his  sentence.    When  the  Secretary  came  to  these  wor 

"  The  minister  S.  shall  be  deprived  of  his  bei 

fice,  stripped  of  his  gown  and  band,  receive  twei 
strokes  of  the  knout,  and  be  sent  in  irons  to  the  mines 
Kertschinsk,  to  work  there  for  life/'  tlie  unhappy 
seemed  lost  in  despair;  and,  after  a  convulsive  moli 
of  the  head,  he  fell  flat  upon  the  ground.    Proper  assij 
ance  being  afforded  him,  he  recovered  the  use  of 
senses,  and,  falling  upon  his  knees,  he  implored 
judges  to  condescend  to  hear  him. 

This  is  not  the  place,^-"  replied  the  Court-Advc 
IP  here  then      cried  the  wretched  man,  in  a  resoli 
tone  of  voice.    *'^JVher^  there!  above,  in  heaven!" 

He  was  now  dragged  to  the  common  prison.    All ' 
tersburg  took  an  interest  in  his  fate ;  every  one  ii 
ceded  in  his  behalf;  even  the  Russian  clergy,  to  tl 
great  honour,  among  the  rest.    Count  de  Pahlen  ww 
the  hearts  of  the  public  by  his  generous  exertions  to  sav< 
him.    Eut  every  effort  was  in  vain!    Obuljaninotf  hat 

]aid  too  fast  hold  on  his  victim.    S  was  led  to  t}» 

place  where  the  punishment  of  the  knout  is  administer 
cd ;  and  when  he  had  proceeded  half-way  there,  he  wa 
ordered  back  to  receive  the  sacrament  at  the  hands  c 
M.  RcinbdU'  After  this  he  set  out  again  to  the  plac 
of  torment. 

Already  were  his  hands  tied  to  the  posts,  already  wer 
liis  shoulders  bared  to  undergo  the  horrid  punishmen 
when  an  officer  arrived,  and  having  whispered  a  wordf 
the  executioner's  ear,  the  latter  respectfully  replied,  shsm 
(I  understand  you)  and  then  brandished  the  knout  tweni 
difTerent  times  over  the  prisoner,  without  touching  h 
body,  very  adroitly  applying  every  stroke  upon  his  cloth: 


259 


only.  Hence  it  is  manifest,  that  some  humane  perst  a 
age,  who  had  not  been  able  to  screen  this  innocent  mas 
from  ignominy,  had  at  least  exerted  his  authority  so  faF 
as  to  prevent  his  suffering  the  horrid  torture  to  which  he 
j  had  been  condemned. 

M.  S  was  led  back  to  prison.    Count  de  Pah- 

Jlen,  under  various  pretences,  retarded  his  departure  for 
)the  mines;  and  had  several  sharp  altercations  with  the 
:  Court- Advocate  on  the  subjecU  The  Emperor,  how^- 
ever,  strenuously  insisting  that  the  sentence  should  be 
[  duly  executed,  the  Count  was  at  length  obliged  to  give 

'way,  and  the  unfortunate  M.  S  dragged  his  fet- 

Iters,  step  by  step,  as  tar  as  Nertschinsk.  His  wife,  who 
jwas  determined  to  siiare  his  fate,  could  not  obtain  per- 
mission to  accompany  him. 

This  unfortunate  man  is  now  free.  When  I  left  Pe- 
tersburg he  was  daily  expected  there  ;  and  doubtless  the 
young  Emperor  w^ill  restore  him  to  honour  and  fortune. 

Some  days  after  the  death  of  Paul  L  Prince  SabofF 
gave  a  splendid  tavern-dinner  to  a  hundred  of  his  friends, 
at  twenty-five  roubles  a-head,#€xclusiye  of  wine.  The 
company  drank  between  thirty  and  forty  dozen  of  cham- 
paign, at  five  roubles  a  botde.  I  should  not  have  men- 
tioned this  princelj/  feast,  but  for  the  purpose  of  record- 
ing a  princely  act.  j  In  the  height  of  their  Jollity,  the 
company  recollected  the  case  of  the  unhappy  M. 

S-^  ,  and  immediately  opened  a  subscription  in  his 

ifevour,  which,  it  is  said,  produced  him,  ten  thousand 
roubles. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  many  lawyers,  that  the  order  inti- 
mated to  the  court  of  justice,  to  inflict  corporal  punish- 
ment on  M.  S  ,  did  not  oblige  the  judges  to  con- 
demn him  to  the  knout,  the  most  severe  of  all  punish- 
ments. 

The  reader  will  not  be  dsipleased  to  learn,  that  M. 
Tumanski,  who  had  been  for  so  many  years  the  scourge 
A'  Riga,  has  ended  his  career  in  the  inost  wretched  man- 
aer.  Enraged  at  the  contempt  with  which  he  w-as  gene- 
rally treated,  he  at  last  meditated  the  ruin  of  the  whole 
lown;  and  with  that  view  denounced  the  inhgibitants  to 


260 


.  Emperor  as  arrant  Jacobins,  sending  a  long  list 
imes,  among  which  were  those  of  the  principal  peopU 
and  men  in  office,  with  the  venerable  Governor  M. 
Nagel  at  their  head. 

The  upright  and  clear-sighted  Monarch  having  res 
this  libel,  declared,  with  too  much  benevolence  pe| 
haps,  that  Tumanski  was  out  of  his  senses,  and  imm< 
diately  dismissed  him  from  his  employment.  On 
return  through  Riga,  in  the  month  of  June  last,  he  wi 
living  there,  poor  and  despised,  on  the  bounty  of  tl 
very  inhabitanis  whom  he  had  devoted  to  ruin.  In  tl 
manner  has  leaden-heeled  Justice,  as  the  poet  calls  h( 
overtaken  the  guilty,  and  condemned  him  to  condi^ 
punishment;  a  punishment  indeed  much  too  gent 
when  compared  with  the  innumerable  afflictions  whi( 
his  administration  had  brought  upon  so  many  unfortii 
Hate  people. 

Madame  Chevalier  and  herhusband,  who  had  figure 
though  in  another  way,  in  the  late  reign,  likewise  exi 
rienced  the  clemency  o(  the  young  Monarch,  who  coi 
tented  himself  with  mffely  sending  them  out  of  the 
country.  M.  Chevalier,  who  had  acted  a  part  no  less 
public  than  di>honourable,  and  who  has  since  endea- 
voured, through  the  medium  of  the  French  newspapers, 
to  persuade  the  world  of  his  innocence,  challenges  ij 
scrutiny  of  his  conduct,  and  without  touching  on  his  prij 
vate  lifie,  I  shall  endeavour  to  show  in  what  manner  h(| 
and  his  wife  conducted  themselves  to  the  world. 

Madame  Chevalier  was  born  at  Lyons ;  her  father! 
who  was  a  dancing-master,  died  young,  and  left  his  farnij 
ly  in  indigent  circumstances.    M.  ChevaUer  became  ac 
quainted  with  her  in  this  situation,  and  married  her.  H! 
is  himself  one  of  the  most  arrogant  of  men,  and  the  won) 
/;a//e^-master  that  ever  existed,  although  he  has  ofw' 
boasted  of  having  danced  a  pas  de  cinq  at  the  Opers 
house,  with  Vestris,  Gardel,  &c.    One  day,  as  he  w; 
relating  this  gasconade,  a  man  of  wit  who  had  know 
him  at  Paris,  where  he  was  engaged  as  a  mere  figurant 
observed  aloud;      I  think  M.  Chevalier  very  modes 
he  spea^  of  a  pas  de  cinq  only,  whereas  I  have  seen  hi 


261 


*! dance  a  pas  de  seize." — I  know  not  if  he  was  in  fact  a 
figurante;  some  say  he  was  second  bullet-m£is>iQv  at  the 
ItaHan  theatre;  this,  however,  is  of  no  consequence. 
But  1  can  affirm  with  great  truth,  that  his  ballets  have 
ever  appeared  to  me  to  be  the  most  wretched  I  have 
ever  seen.^  He  always  strove  to  hide  the  penury  of  his 
genius  by  the  introduction  of  grand  marches,  and  the 
splendid  decorations  which  Gonzaza,  a  very  eminent 
artist,  afforded  him;  as  well  as  w^ith  the  assistance  of  the 
;most  superb  dresses.  His  ballets  were  extremely  ex- 
ipensive,  though  they  were  seldom  repeated  more  than 
'twice.  He  w^as  likewise  indulged  witli  the  privilege, 
lAat  none  of  his  decorations,  nor  any  article  of  his  ward- 
;robe,  should  ever  be  used  except  in  his  own  ballets.  The 
jGerman  company  has  often  felt  the  inconvenience  of  this 
{privilege;  for  whenever  we  had  occasion  for  a  foreign 
jdress,  and  sent  for  it  to  the  keeper  of  the  wardrobe,  the 
answer  constantly  returned  us  was,  that  the  dresses  be- 
longed to  M.  Chevalier.  I  must,  however,  confess,  that 
the  hatred  the  French  theatre  bore  the  German  one^has 
often  suggested  this  pretext  im- order  to  cover  a  refusal*. 
One  Sunday,  I  remember,  I  found  myself  ui-uier  the  ne* 
cessity  of  changing  the  piece  I  intended  to  have  given 
fwhich  was  Octavia)  ^br  another,  a  little  before  the  cur- 
tain drew  up,  because  I  could  not  obtain  a  few  miserable 
dresses  for  the  Roman  soldiers,  although  my  request  had 
been  backed  by  a  note  from  the  great  Marshal  of 
[Lhe  Court.  1  mention  this  as  one  of  the  thousand  un- 
'pleasant  circumstances  which  I  had  to  encounter  in  the 
Ticinagement  of  the  theatre. 

I  now  return  to  M.  Chevalier.    It  is  well  known 
hat  he  left  Hamburg,  and  arrived,  with  his  wife,  at 
t  Petersburg,  where,  by  means  of  her  personal  charms 
I  for  she  is  very  handsome)  she  soon  acquired  connec- 
ions  of  the  most  distinguished  kind.    To  these  connec-^ 
>  her  husband  owed  his  office  of  assessor,  and  the 
iciory  he  gained  over  old  Le  Ficq,  a  Z>a//t^-master  of 
jlistinguished  merit. 

1  Had  he  remained  satisfied  with  this  advantage,  had 
[HJ  continued  to  reign  within  his  own  sphere,  and  had 


fiot  made  snch  display  of  his  foolish  self-love,  thff  pub' 
would  have  been  content  with  laughing  at  him,  an 
should  not  have  mentioned  his  name.    In  spite  of 
protestations  of  innocence  and  probity,  it  is  clearly  pr 
ed,  that  he  has  bartered  his  real  or  pretended  influen 
for  immense  sums  of  money.    I  am  acquainted  wi 
several  instances  of  this  sort.    I  am  averse  to  expo 
any  person,  but  iii  case  of  necessity/,  I  can  prove  wha 
\fidvance;  and  I  think  it  incumbent  on  me  to  make  su 
declaration,  lest  I  should  be  supposed  to  have  attack 
the  reputation  of  an  honest  man  wantonly,  or  mer 
upon  report. 

The  most  shocking  transaction  of  this  kind,  and  whi< 
is  notorious  all  over  Petersburg,  is  the  very  one  M.  Ch 
valier  asserts,  in  the  Journalde  Paris,  to  be  a  mere  fabi 
cation.  The  fact  is,  that  he  has  had  art  enough  to  taj 
advantage  of  an  accessary  incident  which  had  been  erri 
neously  stated,  in  order  to  break  out  into  a  general  con 
plaint  of  calumny  and  injustice.  I  am  not  now  speal 
rng  of  a  divorce,  respecting  which,  M.  Chevalier  ma 
if  he  pleases,  call  heaven  and  earth  to  attest  his  inn 
cence,  but  of  a  fraudulent  and  atrocious  act,  and  ther 
fore  the  particulars  shall  be  related. 

Madame  de  ,  of  one  of  the  first  families  in  tl 

Russian  empire,  bequeathed  her  fortune,  which  consis 
ed  of  thirteen  thousand  peasants,  to  the  amiable  Cou 
de  R — .  She  had  taken  care  to  make  previous  arrange- 
ments with  her  husband's  family,  and  consequently  di»-' 
posed  of  her  dowry  only.  Catherine  had  confirmed  the 
will;  notwithstanding  which,  its  validity  was  contested 
in  the  reign  of  Paul  I.  and  annulled  by  an  order  of  the 
Cabinet. 

M.  = — ,  upon  the  streng^  of  this  case,  was  desir- 
ous of  attaining  similar  ends,  and  for  which  purpose  hi 
availed  himself  of  the  assistance  of  a  Piedmontese  (at 
honest  man,  and  known  as  such)  whose  name  I  do  no* 
jecollect,  and  commissioned  him  to  make  application  tc 
M.  Chevalier.  A  negociation  was  entered  upon  ac! 
cordingly,  and  a  magnificent  necklace  was  promised  t< 
Madame  Chevalier,  and  a  sum  of  money  to  her  husband! 


263 


vdiich  is  s^Id  to  be  so  great,  that  for  fear  of  committing 
a  mistake,  I  shall  not  mention  it.  The  necklacewas  de- 
posited by  way  of  earnest,  and  likewise  one-half  the 
stipulated  sum.  The  affair  was  proposed  to  the  Em» 
peror,  who,  considering  it  unjust,  set  his  face  against  it, 
and  refused  his  consent.  The  ill  success  of  the  applica- 
I  tion  was  industriously  concealed  from  tlie  Piedmontese ; 
,  however,  he  at  last  obtained  information  of  it,  and  hav-  \ 
ing  demanded  the  restitution  of  the  presents,  he  was 
ianswered  with  sarcasms,  and  menaced  with  mischief. 

Driven  quite  to  desperation,  he  applied  to  Madame 
'de  Bontel,  a  French  lady,  whose  mysterious  appearance 
[at  Petersburg  was  an  enigma  to  every  one,  and  who, 
ihaving  gained  the  protection  of  several  great  people, 
was  tolerated  by  the  Emperor,  not  only  in  the  capital, 
but  even  at  Gatschina.  She  was  taken,  with  probabiU 
ity  enough,  for  an  agent  of  the  French  Government. 

This  w^oman  instantly  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Pied- 
montese,* and  related  his  story  to  Count  Rostopschen, 
minister  of  state,  who  being  at  that  time  at  enmity  with 
Madame  Chevalier's  friend,  laid  the  whole  transaction 
before  the  Emperor.  Some  say  his  Majesty  was  inform- 
;d  of  the  affair  by  an  intercepted  letter;  however  that 
nay  be,  it  is  certain  the  E;nperor  received  the  informa- 
ion  through  Count  Rostopschen. 

The  Monarch,  who  was  naturally  just,  w^as  thrown 
nto  a  violent  passion,  and  threatened  to  make  a  terrible 
example  of  the  Chevalier.  The  only  step  they  had  now 
:o  take,  was  to  deny  the  fact.  "  Is  it  our  fault,"  said 
liey,  if  offers  of  money  are  made  us  ?  It  is  enough  that 
ve  never  received  any."  At  the  same  time  they  loudly 
lemanded  that  the  calumniator  should  suffer  exemplary 
>itnishment.  The  wretched  Piedmontese  was  arrested 
|)y  order  of  the  expeditious  Court-Advocate,  and,  all  of 
I  sudden,  he  w^as  discovered  to  be  a  violent  Jacobin, 
hough  he  had  been  hitherto  well  known  as  a  zealous 
oyalist.  He  received  the  knout,  had  his  nostrils  split, 
iind  was  sent  to  the  mines  of  Siberia.  This  anecdote  I 
lave  received  from  an  impartial  person  of  strict  veracity, 
jvho  had  it  from  the  first  source.    All  Petersburg  is  well 


264 


1 


acquainted  with  the  atrocious  arts  with  which  the  just 
of  the  Monarch  had  been  in  so  monstrous  a  manner  si 
prised  and  imposed  upon.    I  may  possibly  be  mistaken 
in  some  trifling  particulars,  but  the  story  itself  is  strict 
true.    Let  M.  Chevalier  explain,  if  he  can,  how,Jie 
been  able,  since  that  time,  to  enjoy  one  hour  of  unc 
turbed  repose! 

The  luxury  he  displayed  in  his  house  was  disgustij 
in  the  highest  degree.  His  rooms  vied  in  splend< 
with  those  of  the  palace  of  MichailoflE^  One  of  thi 
was  hung  with  rose-coloured  silk,  covered  with 
flowered  muslin,  and  seemed  to  be  the  very  temple j 
voluptuousness.  The  family  had  a  salary  of  more  tl 
thirteen  thousand  roubles,  including  Monsieur  August 
-the  lady\s  brother,  a  very  indifferent  dancer.  Besi( 
this  salary,  the  brother  and  sister  had  benefit  nighl 
which  produced  upwards  of  twenty  thousand  roubles; 
every  one  was  eager  to  recommend  themselves  to- 
powerful  family.  I  have  known  tradesmen  who  hi 
sent  twenty-five  roubles  for  seats,  the  usual  price  of  whi 
was  one  rouble  and  a  half,  and  to  whom  their  money  ha 
been  returned  with  the  most  scornful  disdain.  Ever 
person  who  was  already  well  received  at  Court,-  ever 
one  who  wished  to  continue  so,  made  sacrifices  on  thes; 
occasions  frequently  beyond  their  means,  fully  persuadecl 
that  the  idols  to  whom  they  thus  bowed,  might  one  dal 
reimbur:.e  them,  and  that  a  sum  which  did  not  answei 
tlieir  expectations  never  escaped  either  their  notice  cj 
their  vengeance. 

Madame  Chevalier,  indeed,  had  no  occasion  to  uj| 
solicitations  to  fill  the  theatre  on  her  benefit  night.  H<| 
house  was  beset  for  places  in  the  first  boxes,  and  evei 
one  showed  their  attachment  by  paying  for  them  in  coi 
But  Monsieur  Augustus  was  often  obliged  to  take  me 
sures,  of  which  no  man  of  honour  could  avail  hinisc 
He  wrote  nr.te%  or  rather  (as  he  could  not  write,  a  c 
cumstance  1  learnt  from  occula^  demonstration)  had  the 
written,  to  tUe  rich  and  great,  to  force  ticket..  •  < 
tlieui. 


265 


I  By  such  and  a  thousand  otiier  well-known  practices, 
e  family  of  the  Chevaliers,  it  may  be  easily  supposed, 
nassed  great  wealth.    Lest  I  should  be  accused  of  ex- 

^geration,  I  shall  not  venture  to  mention  the  value  of 
e  lady's  jewels,  nor  the  sums  which  her  husband  had, 
different  times,  sent  out  of  the  country.  M.  L*^o, 
e  banker,  who  transacied  his  business,  can  give  further 
formation  on  tin's  head ;  and,  in  fact,  the  whole  town 
:pected  to  see  him  compelled  to  make  such  declaration 

r  ;fore  the  lady  could  have  obtained  permission  to  quit 
e  country.  The  law  obliges  foreigners  to  pay  the 
rown  one-tenth  pai-t  of  the  property  they  take  out  of 
e  country,  whatever  the  amount  may  be;  and  in  the 
esent  case  the  defalcation  might  perhaps  have  amount- 
Mo  some  hundred  thousand  roubles.  The  generosity 
d  clemency  of  the  young  Monarch,  however,  over- 
iked  this  circumstance.  It  is  likewise  well  known, 
it  he  ordered  Count  de  Pahlen  to  inform  Madame 
levalier,  in  a  very  polite  letter,  that  she  had  leave  to 
part;  and  she  took  care  not  to  stay  to  hear  the  intima- 
n  repeated. 

The  late  Emperor,  a  few  weeks  before  this  event,  had 
irged  M.  Chevalier  with  the  honourable  commission  of 
gaging  a  party  of  comedians  at  Paris.    For  this  purpose 
had  received  upwards  of  twenty  thousand  roubles  in 
)ney,  and  bills  of  exchange  for  as  much  more.  During 
whole  journey  he  rendered  himself  remarkable  by  his 
iolence  and  rudeness ;  and  the  post-masters  at  the  dif- 
ent  stages  still  remember  his  insolent  behaviour :  the 
iwspapers  also  recorded,  that  M.  Chevalier,  Counsellor 
the  College,  and  Knight  of  the  Order  of  Malta,  passed 
ough  such  and  such  a  town,  &:c.  &c.    I  know  not, 
leed,  whether  he  had  the  effrontery  to  assume  these 
ies,  but  it  would  not  have  been  at'all  unlike  him. 
lit  is  owing  to  her  husband,  perhaps,  that  Madame 
"-aiier  has  acquired  the  reputation  of  being  avaricious, 
;  so  ill  accords  with  the  softness  and  amenity  of  her 
tsonal  appearance.    Of  her  avarice  many  instances 
I,  nevertheless,  reported.    The  most  shocking  of  all 
'm  is  the  manner  in  which  she  has  lately  treated  her 
Z 


266 


aged  mother,  who  lives  at  Lyons  'in  the  greatest  * 
gence.    The  poor  helpless  woman  wrote  several  let 
to  her  in  order  to  solicit  relief,  but  she  could  never 
tain  any  answer.    At  last  a  stranger  arrived  at  Pet 
burg,  who,  having  been  eye-witness  to  her  distress, 
promised  to  represent  her  situation  to  her  daughter, 
called  several  times  on  Madame  Chevalier,  but  was  ne 
admitted  to  her  presence.    Being,  however,  in  no 
of  her  interest,  he  grew  impatient,  and  at  last  sent 
lady  word  that  he  had  a  message  to  deliver  from  h 
mother,  and  that  if  she  w^ishedto  be  informed  of  it,  s 
must  have  the  goodness  to  send  some  one  to  him.  8 
sent — but  whom? — a  servant!  The  stranger,  provok 
and  ashamed  at  this  unworthy  conduct,  refused  to  c 
plain  himself  to  a  valet.    Monsieur  Augustus  was  tb 
dispatched  as  Plenipotentiary  from  his  sister.  The  Strang 
drew  the  most  affecting  picture  of  his  mother's  distre 
and  Madame  Chevalier  sent  him  tzuo  hundred  roubles, 
bank  notes,  which  he  was,  at  his  discretion,  to  supp 
lier  parent  with.    Two  hundred  roubles !  The  fiftiei 
part  of  what  she  has  often  received  for  a  single  box 
her  benefit !  Madame  Chevalier,  who  w^ith  a  word  cou, 
have  caused  her  aged  mother  to  have  been  brought  i 
triumph  to  Petersburg,  and  supported  there  in  ease  a 
abundance  ;  w  ho  reckoned  her  fortune  by  hundred  the 
sands  of  roubles,  sent  her  indigent  parent  tzuo  hundr 
roubles ! — For  the  sake  of  this  lady,  I  sincerely  hope 
may  be  able  to  refute  this  anecdote ;  but  hitherto,  1 
sorry  to  say,  I  have  not  had  the  least  reason  to  dcub; 
truth. 

Madame  Chevalier  has  been  handsome,  and  mav  ! 
be  considered  so,  though  she  is  more  than  thirty,  a;.  - 
grown  rather  en  bon  point.  She  is  a  charming  si:  l  > 
and  as  an  actress  peculiarly  happy  in  ardess  and  c/; : 
parts.  Her  smiling  looks  captivate  the  audience  * 
moment  she  appears  on  the  stage,  and  secures  the.  - 
probation  of  her  performance.  She  has  sometimes  '  - 
tured  to  appear  in  tragedy  ;  but,  in  my  opinion,  shi 
in  that  line  below  mediocrity.  In  the  part  of  Iphige 
in  which  she  so  much  delighted  the  Emperor,  the  act 


267 


was  never,  for  one  single  moment,  forgotten  in  the  daugh- 
:er  of  Agamemnon ;  it  was  still  Madame  Chevalier  that 
figured  on  the  boards ;  though,  according  to  a  copy  of 
irerses  which  were  handed  about  Petersburg,  Racine  was 
placed  at  her  feet;  and  the  Muses  and  the  Graces,  in 
comparison  with  her,  were  represented  as  mere  barrow- 
women. 

How  superior  to  this  lady  is  Madame  de  Valville,  the 
first  tragic  actress  on  the  Petersburg  stage  !  Her  person 
IS  agreeable,  her  declamation  and  action  perfect.  Nor 
s  she  a  great  actress  only ;  she  is  likewise  an  amiable 
ind  virtuous  woman ;  and  the  dignity  with  which  she 
2ndured  the  many  insults  to  which  she  was  continually 
sxposed,  entitles  her  to  the  highest  veneration.  She  is 
at  the  same  time,  the  most  tender  of  mothers,  the  best 
■y{  wives,  and  the  sincerest  of  friends.  I  entreat  her  par- 
ion  for  this  eulogium,  and  beg  she  will  impute  it  to  a  zeal, 
ivb.ich  at  this  moment  triumphs  over  the  fear  of  raising  a 
bhish  on  her  cheek ;  on  that  cheek  which  has  not  yet 
:orgot  to  blush ! 

Madame  Chevalier  was  roused  from  her  splendid 
1  v\im,  in  a  manner  not  the  most  agreeable  to  her.  Two 

.ers  erUeredper  house  in  the  dead  of  the  night,,  and 
!i:  isled  on  speaking  with  her  immediately.  The  saucy 
[lamber-maid,  who  had  been  long  accustomed  to  see 
icr  mistress  treated  like  a  goddess,  and  to  consider  herself 
IS  a  person  of  some  importance,  would  fain  have  dis- 
missed them  with  rudeness.  The  officers,  however,  des- 
pising her  threats  and  outcries,  rushed  into  Madame 
Chevalier's  room,  and  appeared  without  any  ceremony 
It  her  bedside.  She  started  from  her  slumbers,  and  as- 
vared  them  her  husband  was  at  Paris !  "  Tt  is  not  for 
him,  Madam,  we  are  looking,"  was  their  reply.  Having 
iearnt,  in  a  few  words,  the  events  which  had  taken  place, 
he  was  obliged  to  rise  that  very  moment,  and  to  listen 

-^ome  railleries  not  of  the  most  delicate  nature. 

-  shall  not  enlarge  upon  the  business  of  these  officers, 
r  visit  was  short,  nor  was  Monsieur  Augustus  at  all 
•  istarbed  by  them.  What  the  lady  felt  during  the  rest 
Ijof  the  night,  and  her  alarming -fjrospect  bf  the  future^ 


268 


iiave  perhaps,  in  some  degree^  avenged  the  multitude 
■whom  she  had  made  unhappy,  and  the  innocent  whom 
she  had  ruined.  Yet,  in  fact,  she  had  nothing  to  dread.  I 
The  delicacy  of  tiie  young  Monarch  generously  spared  I 
her.  To  consicferations  of  a  respectable  nature,  she  was 
indebted  for  that,  which  she  could  neither  have  ventured 
fo  hope,  or  to  solicit:  she  was  allowed  to  leave  Peters- 
burg without  any  kind  of  molestation.  I  saw  her  at  Ko- 
r.ingsberg  and  at  Berlin,  more  brilliant  and  more  lively 
than  ever ;  and  no  sensations,  except  those  of  ennui,  apt 
peared  to  give  her  the  least  uneasiness.  ' 

I  doubt  not  but  that  Monsieur  Chevalier,  with  his 
accustomed  impudence,  will  venture  to  deny  the  facts 
I  have  stated,  the  greater  part  of  which  relate  chiefly 
to  himself.  He  may  endeavour  to  bring  my  veracify  and 
impartiality  into  question ;  but  I  here  solemnly  declare, 
that  I  have  'personaUi/  no  subject  of  complaint  either 
against  him  or  his  wife,  and  that  I  only  partake  of  the 
general  indignation  of  the  public.  1  further  declare,  that 
.{  could  have  brought  forward  four  times  as  many  instances 
as  I  have  given,  had  I  been  inclined  to  give  ear  to  com- 
mon report;  and  that  I  have  designedly  made  choice  of 
such  as  have  been  communicated  tom^y  eye-witnesses 
of  unexceptionable  veracity.  I  have  dispassionately  ad- 
ministered the  punishment  of  that  notoriety,  which  sooner 
or  later  brands  the  forehead  of  the  successful  miscreant. 
Eut  enough  has  already  been  said  on  the  subject  of  these 
people. 

The  death  of  the  Emperor  again  opened  to  me  a  happy 
prospect  of  returning  to  my  own  country ;  and,  as  soon 
£ts  I  could  venture  to  call  the  attention  of  the  young  j 
Monarch  from  the  important  concerns  of  the  empire,  to 
a  subject  of  such  small  moment  as  my  own  private  af^ 
lairs,  I  took  an  opportunity  of  soliciting  my  discharge. 
On  the  30th  of  March  I  presented  a  memorial  to  that 
effect  to  Prince  Suboff,  the  Emperor's  Adjutant  Genera!. 
I'he  2d  of  April  I  received,  through  his  hands,  the  fiaf- 
tering  answer,  that  his  Majesty  wished  me  to  cciitiiii 
in  his  service.    Such  distinguished  goodness  mu^tnatu 
ally  have  rendered  the  resolution  oF  persistirig  in  my  ii> 


269 


signation  extremely  painful  to  me.  Impressed  with  the 
warmest  gratitude,  I  therefore  declared,  that  1  should 
be  happy  to  remain  in  the  service  of  a  Rrince  so  justly 
belovecf ;  but  that  I  was  no  longer  able  to  superintend 
the  German  play-house  in  its  present  situation ;  that  it 
it  pleased  the  Emperor  to  allow  some  reforms  to  take 
place,  to  render  it  realli/,  and  not  nominally/,  a  court- 
theatre,  and  placed  in  every  respect  upon  a  level  with 
the  French  company,  I  would  with  pleasure  exert  all 
my  efforts  to  render  it  worthy  of  his  Majesty's  approba- 
tion. 

I  received  an  order  in  consequence  to  draw  up  a  me- 
morial, in  which  I  was  directed  to  point  out  the  means 
of  reforming  the  German  theatre.  I  instantly  obeyed, 
and  fcy  plan,  which  it  has  pleased  an  ignorant  and  male- 
volent correspondent  of  the  Hamburgh  Gazette  to  call 

i  gigantic,  was  nevertheless  calculated  according  to  the 

1  rules  of  the  strictest  economy. 

While  the  French  theatre  cost  upwards  of  one  hundred 
thousand  roubles  a  year  in  salaries  only,  I  undertook  to 

4!^pport  a  company,  that  should  rival  it  in  every  respect, 

ifor  sixty  thousand.  It  seems  that  the  author  of  this  para- 
graph is  no  friend  to  the  Germans,  or  he  would  not  have 
termed  gigantic  a  sum  I  had  asked  for  the  whole  sup- 
port of  the  play-house,  which  amounted  but  to  little 

[  more  than  one  half  of  the  mere  salaries  of  the  other 

["theatre. 

The  Emperor  commissioned  the  Court  Marshal  to  ex- 
amine my  plan,  and  the  latter  approved  cf  it. 
I        What  will  the  German  theatre  cost  according  to  this 
[estimate?'*  said  the  Emperor. 

"  Sixty  thousand  roubles  a  year." 
"  And  what  has  it  hit?Terto  cost?" 
Nothing." 

This  answer  must  naturally  have  astonished  the  Era- 
t  peror.    It  was  just,  however,  in  one  point  of  view.  By 
!  dint  of  zeal,  intense  application,  and  unremitting  efforts, 
I  had  made  the  winter  receipts  amount  to  thirty-two 
thousand  roubles :  and  with  this  monev  I  had  b^n  able 
to  defray  every  contingent  expense :  but  the  Mlmial  did 
Z  a 


270 

not  recollect,  ^at  during  seven  weeks  of  Lent  the  house 
would  produce  nothing,  and  during  the  summer  months 
not  much  ;  that  the  theatre  besides  stood  in  need  of  great 
repairs  and  improvements.  The  Monarch  himself  could 
not  be  expected  to  enter  into  such  j)artic«lars ;  and  tlie 
more  so,  as  the  memorial  did  not  specify,  any.  It  is, 
therefore,  not  at  all  surprising  that  he  should  have  con- 
sidered the  sum  too  great. 

I  was  too  well  acquainted  with  the  disposition  of  the 
court  in  general  towards  the  German  theatre,  and  q( 
course  prepared  (in  case  the  Emperor  should  disappro^•^' 
my  plan)  to  reiterate  my  former  request.  My  discha;;. 
at  length  was  granted  me  in  the  most  gracious  terms, 
and  I  obtained  at  the  same  time  the  rank  of  Counsellflj 
of  tlie  College.  *•  1 

I  am  fully  convinced  that  the  Court  cannot  keep  vM 
the  German  tlieatre,  even  in  its  present  imperfect  estaoi 
lishment,  without  disbursing  thirty-seven  thousand  roubles 
annually,*  Had  it  been  observed  to  the  Emperor  at  the 
time,  that  the  improvements  alone  would  have  cost 
twenty-three  thousand  roubles,  1  have  reason  to  be- 
lieve, that  his  answer  would  have  been  different  from 
what  it  was;  especially  as  the  young  Empress  is  a  great 
admirer  of  the  German  drama:  but  the  word  nothing 
could  not  well  have  produced  any  other  effect. 

Such  are  (he  circumstances  of  my  discharge,  respect- 
ing which  the  author  of  a  paragraph  in  the  Hamburgh 
CVazette  had  the  goodness  to  observe,  that  it  was  not } 
very  clear,  whether  it  was  asked  for  or  received.  At  I 
Petersburg  the  matter  was  clear  enough  ;  but  unhappily 
there  are  men  in  the  world  who  are  induced  by  envy  to 
believe  the  contrary  to  what  every  one  knows.  ' 

In  speaking  of  the  pension  that  was  granted  me,  the 
same  corresp(mdent  ob'^erves  with  equal  malignity,  and 
with  a  design  to  render  the  distinction  less  honourable  to 
me,  that  I  solicited  it.    He  knew  not  that  the  Emperor 

*  1  am  not  uninformed,  that  Monsieur  Mir^,  and  a  pevson  of 
tVie  nati^  of  Casazzi,  have  undertaken  the  business  at  a  miic'- 
lower  rate,  but  Jinis  Sl^onat  opus. 


271 


Paul  had  secured  the  salary  on  his  own  privy-pqrse;  and 
that  pensions  of  that  nature  are  frequently,  and  even 
commonly,  continued  after  the  resignation  of  the  receiver- 
and  that,  without  having  assailed  the  young  Monarch 
with  solicitations  and  entreaties,  the  favour  was  granted 
'  me  on  my  mere  request.  I  am  too  proud  of  this  rrnark 
'  of  kindness  and  benevolence  in  the  young  Emperor,  and 
too  jealous  of  the  reputation  of  an  unassuming  man,  not 
to  have  placed  the  matter  in  its  true  point  of  view,  even 
at  the  risk  of  fatiguing  the  patience  of  my  readers. 

On  the  29th  of  April  I  left  Petersburg  with  my  family, 
full  of  gratitude  to  the  deceased  Monarch,  and  to  the 
reigning  Emperor.  We  passed  some  weeks  at  Jesse, 
with  M.  Koch  and  his  excellent  family ;  from  whence, 
accompanied  by  their  best  wishes,  we  proceeded  to  Wol- 
^marshof,  the  country-seat  of  Baron  de  Lowenstern,  who 
had  sent  us  the  most  cordial  invitation. 

My  heart  palpitated  violently  as  I  approached  this 
abode  of  sincerity  and  truth :  at  length  I  beheld  the  ac- 
t  complishment  of  the  most  ardent  or  myjwishes :  I  was 
on  the  point  of  meeting  a  lady  again,  who,  in  the  most 
lc5rrible  moment  of  my  life,  had  sent  me  every  succour 
in  her  power.  With  what  impatience  did  I  long  to  press 
her  hand  to  my  lips  and  to  my  heart !  I  was  also  to  meet 
the  young  man  who  had  slied  tears  on  my  account,  and 
who  had  strove  to  soften  my  afflictions  with  the  tender- 
ness of  a  brother.  The  first  person  I  saw  on  getting  out 
of  tlie  carriage,  was  M.  de  Beyer.  What  varied  emo- 
tions seized  me  as  he  approached!  After  him  appeared 
Madame  de  Lowenstern.  1  was  unable  to  utter  a  single 
word ;  my  tears  eloquently  interpreted  the  feelings  of 
my  heart.  I  looked  round  for  her  worthy  son,  he  flew 
to  my  embrace,  and  I  pressed  him  with  fraternal  affec- 
tion. How  sweet  is  the  remembrance  of  past  evils  in 
the  circle  of  sympathizing  friendship  ! 

I  here  obtained  some  explanations  of  that  part  of  my 
history,  in  which  these  worthy  persons  were  coficerned. 
The  letters  I  had  written  at  Stockmannshof  1^  been  all 
forwarded  by  M.  de  Beyer  to  the  Governor-^  of  Riga, 
except  that  intended  for  Count  Cobenzelj  which  could 


272 


not  but  have  proved  prejudicial  to  me.  M.  de  Ricliter 
had  dispatched  them  without  the  least  scruple  to  the  En  - 
peror,  who  at  first  was  much  irritated  at  my  escape,  an 
replied  to  the  Governor,  that  he  must  instantly  summon 
M.  de  Beyer  to  Riga,  and  severely  reprimand  him  for 
having  suffered  a  state-prisoner  to  write  letters  in  his 
house.  This  reprimand,  which  implied  no  small  eulo* 
gium  of  M.  dc  Beyer's  heart,  was  accordingly  given,  but 
it  may  be  easily  imagined  how  much  the  well  known 
humanity  of  M.  de  Richter  must  have  tended  to  soften 
the  severity  of  it. 

I  learnt  besides,  that  my  Counsellor  had  communi- 
cated his  instructions  to  M.  de  Beyer,  and  that  conse- 
quently he  would  have  incurred  great  danger  it'  he  had 
espoused  my  cause  more  warmly  than  he  did.  M.  ch 
Beyer  attempted  to  justify  the  cold  and  prudent  M.  Pr- 
stenius,  and  it  is  no  fault  of  mine  if  my  own  heart  i;;- 
validated  all  his  arguments. 

The  whole  family  had  considered  the  Counsellor  a^  a 
civil,  kind-hearted  man,  and  had  placed  great  confi* 
dence  in  him.  This  mistake  was  very  excusable  in 
people  of  their  excellent  disposition;  for  never  had  I 
seen,  in  any  instance  whatever,  so  much  cruelty  united 
with  so  much  dissimuiaiinn.  He  had  waited  on  my 
wife,  on  his  arrival  at  Petersburg,  after  having  heard  of 
my  approaching  deliverance,  to  give  her  joy.  He  tolu 
her  that  we  were  very  intimate  friends,  and  had  lived 
together  like  two  brothers  during  the  whole  journey.  He 
even  paid  me  a  visit,  when  he  had  heard  in  what  a  dis- 
tinguished manner  I  had  been  treated  b)  the  Emperor, 
and  meanly  attempted  to  insinuate  himself  into  my 
favour.  I  could  not,  however,  bear  the  sight  of  him: 
he  at  length  ©"bserved  this,  and  discontinued  his  visits. 

After  having  spent  a  few  days  very  agreeably  at  Wol- 
marshof,  we  set  ofl'tbr  Riga,  where  we  were  expected 
byour  faithful  friends,  i  had  not  the  pleasure  of  finding  the 
worthy  Governor  there  ;  he  was  unfortunately  ill  in  the 
country, Jfc^  I  found  my  kind  friend  Eckardt,  and  tli 
learned  ^^tor  Stoffregen,  to  whom  I  expressed  all  v. 
gratitude.    We  accompanied  the  latter  to  his  villa, 


21% 


terrestrial  paradise,  at  Graffenheyde,  and  we  separated 
in  a  few  days,  bestowing  on  each  other  reciprocal J^ene- 
dictions  and  prayers. 

Among  other  things,  I  learnt  at  Riga,  that  a  letter 
which  my  wife  had  written  to  the  Duchess  of  Weimar, 
had  been  sent  to  Petersburg  by  the  master  of  the  Post- 
office,  and  had  been  read  by  the  Emperor ;  that  his  Ma- 
jesty had  immediately  returned  it,  with  orders  to  have  it 
sealed  up  again,  and  forwarded  to  its  destination.  •  Our 
friends  augured  something  good  from  this  incident;  it  is 
indeed,  certain,  that  the  letter  (a  copy  of  which  I  pos- 
sess) could  not  have  failed  to  make  a  salutary  impression 
on  the  kind  heart  of  the  Monarch.  I  therefore,  per- 
haps, owe  my  deliverance,  in  some  measure,  to  the  very 
person,  to  whom  of  all  others,  I  would  most  willingly 
owe  it — to  my  own  wife. 

At  Mittau  the  Governor  of  Courland  was  no  longer 
to  be  found;  he  had  been  dismissed  from  lij[s  post.  M. 
Sellen,  of  Polangen,  had  likewise  been  discharged  ;  I 
did  not  see  him,  but  I  found  the  Lieutenant  who  had 
i  companied  us  to  Mittau,  and  whose  name  is  De  Boges- 
lawski.  He  received  me  as  an  old  friend,  and  compell- 
ed us  to  breakfast  with  him.  On  this  spot,  how  did  I 
run  over  the  early  scene  of  my  misfortunes  !  How  bene- 
ficent is  nature,  in  causing  the  remembrance  of  past  ills 
to  produce  an  enjoyment  equal  to,  and  perhaps  greater 
than  that  of  past  pleasures !  I  inqiiired  after  the  honest 
Cossack,  who  had  accompanied  us  on  the  coach-box :  I 
wished  to  make  him  a  present,  but  he  was  not  in  the 
way. 

When  we  felt  the  carriage  drive  off — wh^n  we  pass- 
ed the  guard-house — when  the  barrier  was  let  down 
behind  us — and  when,  a  little  further  on,  we  beheld  the 
Prussian  eagle; — why  should  I  blush  to  confess,  that  I 
burst  into  a  flood  of  tears,  that  my  wife  also  wept,  and 
that  we  sunk  into  each  other's  arms  ?  Not  that  we  had 
waited  for  this  moment  to  give  full  scope  to  our  feel- 
ings— No;  the  name  of  Alexander  is  every  honest 
mwn's  sufficient  guarantee  for  his  personal  freedom ;  but 


274 


it  was  a  confused  mixture  of  emotions^  as  powerfu 
inexplicable,  that  called  forth  these  delicious  tears.  The 
view  of  the  theatre  of  my  misfortunes;  the  recapitula- 
tion of  all  the  scenes  through  which  I  had  struggled : 
the  agony,  which  a  year  before,  I  had  suffered  on  tlie 
same  road;  the  contrast  of  sensations;  the  happy  and 
unforeseen  change  of  circumstances;  my  gratitude  to 
God,  who  had  restored  all  that  was  dear  to  me ;  the  de- 
light at  waking  from  my  long  and  frightful  dream  ; — all 
these  considerations  agitated  every  feeling  of  my  heart, 
and  forced  the  tears  into  my  eyes.  Thus  impressed,  I 
saluted  the  happy  dominions  of  Frederic  William  III. 
The  moment  I  set  my  foot  upon  hi^  frontiers,  I  consi- 
dered myself  as  in  my  native  country. 

At  Konigsberg  I  found  Count  Kutaissoff,  the  favourite 
and  confidential  friend  of  the  late  Emperor.  If  any  one 
could  have  given  me  information  concerning  the  cause 
of  my  arrest,  it  was  certainly  he.  I  had  long  known 
him,  but  our  acquaintance  was  during  a  period  in  which 
it  would  have  been  improper  to  have  asked  him  any 
questions  relating  immediately  to  myself.  But  what  I 
had  not  ventured  to  do  at  Petersburg  could  be  done 
■without  any  scruple  here:  I  therefore  hinted  to  him  my 
wishes  to  be  acquainted  with  the  Emperor*s  reasons  for 
having  treated  me  with  so  much  severity;  and  he  re- 
plied, with  the  most  unsuspicious  frankness,  that  his 
Majesty  had  acted  from  no  particular  motive,  but  that 
I  had  given  him  umbrage  as  an  author.  However,'* 
added  he,  *'  you  have  seen  with  what  readiness,  and  with 
what  pleasure  he  corrected  his  error:  he  liked  you;  he 
has  given  you  proofs  of  it ;  and  had  he  lived,  you  would 
have  received  more.^' 

Peace  then  to  the  ashes  of  a  man,  whose  faults  may 
be  ascribed,  in  a  great  measure,  to  the  nature  of  his  edii* 
cation,  to  the  extraordinary  events  that  distinguished  the 
period  of  his -reign,  and  to  the  characters  of  the  people 
who  surrounded  him !  a  man,  who  might  often  have 
been  mistaken  with  regard  to  the  meam  he  employed  to 
do  good,  but  whose  invariable  aim  was  to  be  good  and 


275 


who  scattered  innumerable  benefits  around  him, 
yet  saw  nothing  but  noxious  plants  spring  up,  whose 
blossoms  pleased  his  eye,  while  their  poisonous  vapour 
tarnished  and  destroyed  him! 

I  I  shall  conclude  with  the  insertion  of  some  French 
t'erses,  which  were  circulated  in  Petersburg  some  days 
ifter  the  Emperor's  death.  I  am  unacquainted  with  the 
author,  but  his  picture  bears  the  stamp  of  truth. 

On  le  conniit  trop  peu,  lui  ne  connAt  personne ; 
Actif,  toujours  press^,  bouillant,  impdrieux, 
Aimable,  seduisant,  meme  sans  la  couronne, 
Voulant  gouverneur  seul,  tout  avoir,  tout  faire  mieux, 
II  fit  boucoup  d'ingrats-— et  mouriit  malheureux ! 

t 


276 


APPENDIX. 

A'l  Examination  of  a  Work  entitled  "  Secret  Memoirs  of 
the  Court  of  Russia.'' 

I  HAVE  read  the  "  Memoirs  of  the  Court  of  Russia:" 
the  book  has  made  much  noise  in  the  world ;  more  in- 
deed than  it  merits.  It  has  been,  and  is  perhaps  still, 
believed  that  the  author  drew  his  materials  from  authen- 
tic sources;  it  is  therefore  worth  while  to  examine  this 
*  work  in  detail.  He  has  treated  both  the  great  and  in- 
significant with  such  rancour,  and  attacked  the  honour 
and  the  virtue  of  the  monarch  and  the  nation  with  so 
much  audacity,  that  I  conceive  I  shall  deserve  the  thanks 
of  the  public  by  stripping  off  his  mask,  and  openly  con- 
tradicting him  on  several  points,  respecting  which  I 
have  better  information  than  he  could  ever  have  ob- 
tained. 

If,  in  imitation  of  himself,  I  were  to  derive  my  autho- 
rities from  table-talk  and  the  gossip  of  anti-chambers  it 
would  be  an  easy  task  to  refute  every  page  of  his  book  : 
being,  however,  averse  to  assume  airs  of  importance,  1 
repeat,  that  I  shall  only  touch  upon  what  my  own  con- 
viction enables  me  to  refute.  If  the  Secret  Memoirs 
should  ever  find  their  way  into  Russia,  there  will  be  no 
want  of  persons,  still  better  informed  than  myself,  to  ex- 
pose the  falsehoods  which  they  contain. 

The  author  pretends,  in  his  preface,  to  have  held 
heaven  knows  what  important  post  at  Court ;  and  the 
editor  adds,  that  he  had  lived  in  the  closest  intimacy 
with  people  of  rank  and  influence  at  Petersburg.  Now, 
as  it  is  the  duty  of  every  historian  or  compiler  of  me- 
moirs, who  makes  any  pretension  to  public  confidence, 
to  show  how  he  has  been  able  to  come  at  the  truth  oi 


277 


what  he  a^sertf?;  let  us  say  a  lew  words  concerning  the 
autlior  himself. 

Monsieur  cle  M*'^"'^'  the  younger,  is  a  native  of  Swit- 
zerland.The  history  of  (he  early  part  of  his  life  is 
here  out  of  the  question.  He  was  received  at  the  house 
of  General  Soltikoff,  by  \vhosc  interest  he  obtained  the 
otiiee  of  inspector  of  the  stables  of  the  Grand  Duke 
Alexander,  the  present  Emperor.  The  Grand  Duke 
probably  was  familiar  with  him;  but  I  do  not  seetiow 
his  post  could  have  procured  him  his  intimaie  connections 
vi'ilh  the  principal  people  of  rank  and  influence  in  th<5 
empire. 

He  had  made  verses,  and  in  his  own  circle  may  have 
been  considered  as  a  man  acquainted  with  the  fashion- 
able world;  but  he  may  be  assured,  that  there  are  many 
great  people  and  men  of  influence  at  Petersburg,  who 
are  to  this  moment  ignorant  of  his  existence.  Let  the 
reader  judge  from  hence,  if  he  co«/(i  have  always  spoken 
the  truth. 

But,  supposing  we  grant  him  this  point,  it  is  very 
■certain  it  has  not  always  been  his  intention  to  speak  it. 
He  himself,  however,  has  been  frank  enough  to  con- 
fess, that  nothing  less  than  the  most  justifiable  resent- 
ment forces  him  to  speak  out.*  What  can  be  expected 
from  a  writer,  whose  resentment  speaks  for  him,  and  who 
is  ).ot  ashamed  to  add,  that  it  is  the  proper  business  of 
indignation  to  reveal  what  criminal  gratitude  might  in- 
duce him  to  conceal.  It  is  his  indignation  alone  then, 
that  breaks  out  through  the  whole  book,  and  which  is  of 
so  violent  a  nature,  that  he  is  forced  to  consider  gralitude 
as  criminal  when  it  does  not  allow  him  to  disburden 
himself  of  every  thing  that  weighs  upon  his  heart.  What 
can  be  expected  from  a  writer  who  has  fiith  in  criminal 
gratitude  ? 

*  It  is  for  the  sake  of  his  respectable  brother  that  I  do  not 
give  his  name  complete.  He  has,  liowever,  saved  the  reader 
the  trouble  of  guessing  it,  for  he  has  made  himself  so  well 
known  every  Vk'here,  that  it  seems  he  is  not  at  all  solicitous  to 
it'main  in  obscurity. 

2  A 


278 


And  what  is  it,  in  fact,  that  has  irritated  him  to  si 
a  degree?  He  has  been  ill  treated,  I  will  allow;  and 
am  inclined  to  believe  that  he  was  innocent.  Certain' 
suspicions,  some  unmeaning  words,  something  said  in 
favour  of  the  French  troops,  had  induced  the  too  hasi^ 
Emperor  to  banish  M.  de  M***  and  his  brother  out  oi 
his  dominions;  but  his  Majesty  did  this  without  any  de^ 
gradation  of  their  honour :  he  did  not  seize  their  for- 
tunes, nor  refuse  to  allow  tlieir  families  to  accompany 
them.  They  had  fallen  into  disgrace,  and  that  was  all: 
the  Emperor  had  withdrawn  his  confidence,  and  would 
have  them  no  longer  in  his  service; — nothing  more.  I( 
will  be  said  that  this  was  enough,  and  that  their  case  was 
very  severe.  I  allow  it,  but  not  sufficiently  so  to  justify 
the  transformation  of  gratitude  into  a  thing  that  depends 
on  circumstances.  Had  M.  de  M***  been  satisfiec) 
with  asserting  liis  innocence  in  a  calm  and  satisfactory 
manner,  every  impartial  reader  would  have  applauded 
jiim.  But  this  mass  of  scandalous  anecdotes,  his  evident 
solicitude  to  collect  every  thing  that  could  render  the 
Russian  Court  either  atrocious  or  ridiculous, show  clear- 
ly, that  the  Emperor  Paul  did  not  act  imprudently  in  re- 
moving a  petulent  observer,  who  examined  every  thing 
that  came  in  his  way  with  a  jaundiced  eye.  M.  de 
M***^s  own  book  is,  in  my  opinion,  the  best  justifica- 
tion of  the  Emperor's  conduct  towards  the  author.  Let 
him  undertake,  in  the  boasted  French  republic,  to  write 
the  scandalous  chronicle  of  the  French  court  of  the  pre- 
sent day,  and  I  am  persuaded  that  he  would  think  him- 
self well  off' if  he  escapisd  transportation  to  Cayenne. 

He  says,  I  have  WTitlen  only  what  I  have  seen,  heard, 
or  experienced  myself.  This  is  very  singular.  I  find 
nothing  throughout  the  whole  book  but  things  which 
were  heard  of,  and  of  which  I,  too,  with  a  thousand 
others,  have  heard,  though  in  a  different  manner.  If  it 
were  sufficient  merely  to  give  ear  to  things,  to  enable  a 
man  to  write  memoirs  for  posterity,  the  historic  muse 
may  erect  a  temple  in  every  anti-chamber !  If  M.  de 
M***  would  have  us  believe  what  he  has  neither  seen, 
.  nor  felt,  nor  experienced,  but  only  heard,  he  ought  to 


279 


TOtme  his  authorities;  in  default  of  which,  he  will  allow 
lis  to  place  no  more  confidence  in  an  inspector  of  the 
jitables  of  the  Grand  Duke,  than  in  any  other  subaltern 
<^cer  of  the  Russian  Court. 


In  the  preface  (page  4)  he  calls  the  Emperor  a  re- 
vengeful  tyrant.  Paul  was  not  in  the  least  addicted  to 
revenge.  In  the  first  emotions  of  anger,  he  might  have 
often  committed  injuries;  but  to  rancour  and  vengeance 
bis  heart  was  a  stranger.  I  could  name  instances  of  per- 
sons, by  whom,  whether  right  or  wrong,  he  conceived 
himself  to  be  offended,  and  whom  he  punished  at  one 
moment,  and  at  the  next  raised  to  the  first  dignities  in 

te  state.  It  is,  however,  needless  to  bring  forward  these 
:amples,  as  they  are  already  generally  known.  Had 
the  Emperor  been  revengeful,  and  consequently  rancor- 
ous (for  tliese  passions  never  opersite  separately)  the  an- 
nals of  history  would  probably  have  held  out  one  horrid 
attempt  the  less  to  posterity.  M.  de  M***  boasts  of 
his  courage  and  fra?tknes$,  in  uttering  the  words  reveuge- 
f III  tyrant ;  but  where  is  the  honest  man  who  does  not 
consider,  that  he  calls  by  too  soft  a  name  the  wicked- 
ness he  allows  himself  to  commit? 

One  cannot  help  smiling  at  reading  (page  5)  that  M. 
de  M**"^  feels  and  experiences  that  he  is  followed 
wherever  he  goes.  The  Emperor,  in  fact,  made  no 
farther  mention  of  him  after  hi§  departure,  nor  even 
thougbt  more  about  him.  It  is  still  more  disgusting  to 
hear  him  soon  after  impudently  assert,  that  he  has  e:<- 
fercised  great  moderation  in  drawing  up  his  memoirs.  I 
should  be  glad  to  know  how  it  were  possible  to  cram  a 
greater  quantity  of  horrid  matter  into  the  compass  of  two 
volumes. 

He  confesses  frankly  enough  that  his  had  memory  has 
been  his  only  source,  as  he  had  committed  all  his  mate- 
rials to  the  flames.  It  is  indeed  requiring  a  little  too 
much  of  the  reader  to  expect  him  to  confide  in  the  had 
memory  of  an  inspector  of  the  Grand  Duke's  stables,  foj 
an  account  of  all  kinds  of  state  and  family  secrets. 


280 


M.  dc  M***  gives  no  quarter  io  the  poor  Germ 
authors.  He  calls  them  all  pickthanks,  without  supp 
ing  the  epithet  by  a  single  case  in  point.  Ah  !  M. 
M^**,  were  I  to  publish  some  or  your  poetry,  \ 
Avoiild  deserve  the  name  of  pickthank  better  than  yo 
.self? 

M.  de  M*^  -  endeavours  to  represent  every  Russ 
subject  35?  an  abject  slave ;  he  even  pretends  that 
nation,  by  a  kind  of  apotheosis,  has  changed  the  na 
of  Catherine  to  Jecatherine,  which,  according  to  h 
signifies  Ar chc either ine.  A  curious  interpretation  tru 
Jccatherine  is  merely  a  name,  and  as  little  signifies  Ar 
Catherine  as  agurke  (which  in  Livonia  is  used  for  gur..^, 
A  cucumber)  signifies  archcvcumber. 

In  page  48,  M.  de  M***  has  the  assurance  to  assert, 
that  the  Emperor  is  the  tyrant  both  of  the  empire  anil 
his  family ;  and  that  he  proscribes  the  dearest  and  most ' 
laudable'  feelings  of  nature.    A  more  abominable  false- 
hood than  this  was  never  uttered.    I  should  fill  a  whole 
vclume,  were  I  to  bring  forward  all  the  domestic  inci- 
dents in  which  the  Empefor  Paul  approved  himself  to 
1)0  a  tender  hushiind  and  a  good  father  ;  and  I  am  only 
acquainted  with  the  smaller  part  of  that  number.    1  do 
not  ]>retend  that  he  has  not  often  fallen  into  violent, 
though  short,  fits  of  anger,  with  his  family,  which  havej 
sometimes  been  attended  with  very  serious  consequen- 
ces ;  but  he  is  not  on  that  account  the  less  susceptible  of 
the  most  tender  feelings  of  nature. 

It  is  unusual,  for  instance,  to  consult  the  inclinations 
of  a  Princess  in  the  disposal  of  her  hand ;  yet  I  know 
from  the  best  authority,  that  die  Emperor  always  left  to 
liis  daughters  the  free  choice  of  their  husbands:  in  such 
cases,  consulting  the  paternal  feelings  of  his  heart,  rather 
than  listening  to  motives  of  political  interest,  he  entered 
into  no  promises  with  regard  to  an  alliance,  but  on  the 
express  condition  of  its  receiving  his  daughter's  full  ap- 
V)robation.  I  should  be  glad  to  be  informed  of  many 
olhcr  Courts  in  which  a  like  custom  prevails  I 

When  the  deceased  Grand  Duchess  Alexandrina  took 
her  leave  of  him,  with  what  inexpressible  tcndcrr 


281 


did  he  fold  her  in  his  arms !  How  many  tears  <Iid  lie  shed 
upon  the  occasion  !  She  was  seated  in  her  coach,  when 
he  again  came  down  into  the  Court,  and  opening  the 
carriage  door,  bestowed  his  blessing,  in  a  broken  voice, 
•iipon  his  darling  child.  Is  this  the  conduct  of  a  man  who 
proscribes  the  common  feelings  of  nature  ? 

I  could  add  many  other  instances,  but  I  do  not  think, 
like  M.  de  M***,  "that  it  is  proper  to  print  every  thing 
I  have  been  told.  I  shall,  however,  bring  forward  a 
case  in  direct  contradiction  to  his  senseless  assertion, 
since  it  affords,  at  the  same  time,  an  example  of  the  love 
and  tenderness  which  the  Emperor  bore  his  family  to  the 
last  moment  of  liis  life. 

On  the  1 1th  of  March,  at  five  or  six  in  the  afternoon, 
a  few  hours  before  his  death,  when  M.  V-  ,  an 

^Aulic-Counsellor,  who  had  been  sent  for  by  the  Em- 

JjDress  on  business,  was  waiting  her  Majesty's  orders  in 
the  anti-chamber,  he  observed,  through  a  half-open  door, 
the  Emperor  go  to  her.  He  appeared  in  very  good 
humour,  and  said  to  her  on  entering  the  room,  "  My 
angel,  I  have  brought  you  something  that  will  give  you 
pleasure,"  As  every  favour  does,"  replied  the  Em- 
press,    which  you  confer."    The  Emperor  then  took  a 

'  pair  of  stockings  out  of  his  pocket,  which  had  been  em- 
broidered by  the  noble  young  ladies  belonging  to  the  in* 
stitution,  under  the  immediate  patronage  other  Imperial 

'Majesty.  After  showing  this  attention  to  his  consort, 
he  turned  to  his  youngest  children,  who  were  playing 
about  him,  took  them  in  his  arras,  danced  with  them 
about  the  room,  and,  in  a  word,  acted  in  every  respect 
as  the  most  affectionate  father  of  a  family  would  have 
done.  M.  V***  was  deeply  affected  at  this  scene;  it 
requires  no  comment,  since  it  is  to  persons  of  feeling 

|4iearts  alone  that  I  address  myself. 

At  page  79,  M.  de  M          makes  a  violent  attack 

upon  the  principal  nobility  of  the  empire,  during  the  last 
years  of  the  reign  of  Catherine  II.  He  says,  "  they  were 
without  knowledge,  without  views,  without  elevation  of 
mind,  and  utterly  devoid  of  probity."  He  will  not  al- 
low tiiem  even  that  vain  honour,  which^  witii  respect  t© 
2  A  ^ 


282 


lideliiy,  slaiuls  in  the  same  stead  as  hypocrisj  does  \v 
regard  to  virtue.  He  charges  them  with  being  as  i 
perioiis  as  bashaws,  as  oppressive  as  tax-gatherers, 
(iislionest  as  lackeys,  and  as  mercenary  as  stage-vvaitii 
maids  in  a  wordjie  is  not  ashamed  to  call  them,  "  t 
rabb/e  of  the  onpirc." 

Let  such  a  picture  (which  the  most  virulent  passion 
alone  could  have  been  capable  of  sketching,  and  the 
most  unbridled  extravagance  have  finished)  be  placed 
beside  the  portrait  of"  a  Rcpnin,  a  man  equally  great  in 
the  cabinet  and  the  field,  of  incorruptible  integrity,  and 
of  the  most  generous  liberality  of  sentiment: — of  a 
Bomanzo,  a  great  general,  who  has  bequeathed  hi^ 
virtues  to  his  children : — of  a  Besborodki,  who,  thougli 
a  man  of  pleasure,  had  the  best  of  intellects,  and  was 
the  most  indefatigable  of  statesmen  : — of  a  WasiLeiv,  (he^ 
treasurer  of  the  empire,  who  without  flattery  might  bJ 
compared  with  the  great  Colbert  himself  for  lalents  ana 
probity :  of  a  Sollikoff',  a  Mw/coJ]  &c.  and  the  indi^^- 
nant  reader  would  then  be  ten^.pted  to  bestow  on  whr. 

M.  de  M  is  pleased  to  term  courage  iindfnmkuto 

•T'pithels  of  a  far  different  signiiication.  And  when  i; 
has  the  audacity  to  add,  *^  that  the  nobility  have  pension- 
ed their  servants,  their  buffoons,  their  secretaries,  and 
even  the  tutors  of  their  children,  out  of  the  public  trea- 
sure, of  which  they  had  the  management;"  the  assertion 
is  of  so  dishonorable  and  so  calumnious  a  Hature,  that  the 
man  who  has  committed  it  at  random  to  paper,  unsup- 
ported by  any  kintl  of" proof,  deserves  to  be  arraigned  as 
a  criminal  at  the  bar  of  justice. 

1  request  the  reader  further  to  remark  how  often  M. 

de  M  ,  imder  the  influence  of  passion,  contradicts 

his  own  assertions.  He  gives  the  name  of  rabble  to  the 
great  people  in  the  reign  of  Catherine  II.  and  yet  makes 
it  criminal  in  her  successor  to  have  dismissed  them  on 
his  accession  to  the  crown  :  and  after  allowing,  that  those 
by  whom  the  Emperor  Paul  was  surrounded,  were  peo- 
ple of  less  moral  depravity  than  the  discarded  courtier;;, 
he  is  nevertheless  continually  turning  them  into  ridicule, 
and  calling  them  iipstarh'. 


285 


i  At  page  82,  lie  repeats  the  liacknied  assertion,  "  that 
[Russia  cannot  boast  of  having  any  laws,  but  that  it  is 
merely  governed  by  ukases  or  prescripts/^  It  must  be 
confessed  that  the  legislative  commission  established  by 
Catherine,  had  not  done  all  that  might  have  been  ex- 
pected from  it;  many  more  improvements,  however, 
were  made  in  the  reign  of  that  immortal  woman  than 
(M.  de  M  seems  to  have  been  aware  of.  Her  in- 
comparable Instructions  for  the  government  of  the  Rus- 
siaii  empire;  her  Instruct  ions  for  the  towns;  for  thenobi- 
litj/ ;  for  the  trades,  ^-c.  arc  not  mere  prescripts,  but  form 
altogefher  a  complete  code  of  law^s.  During  the  space 
often  years,  I  was  myself  in  the  habits  of  judging  a  mul- 
titude of  suits  by  these  laws,  and  I  was  seldom  driven  to 
the  necessity  of  having  recourse  to  a  foreign  code. 
^  Tliis  is  not  the  place  to  examine  whether  the  plan  of 
Empress  to  introduce  an  uniform  code  of  laws  into 
her  vast  empire,  was  not  rather  a  pious  wdsh,  than  a 
measure  at  all  possible.  It  would  doubtless  be  a  desir- 
lable  thing  to  abolish  that  confusion,  which  cannot  fail  to 
result  from  the  great  number  of  customs  and  privileges 
[Wliich  are  continually  at  variance  with  each  other.  The 
1  tribunal,  for  instance,  v/herc  I  had  the  honour  to  preside^ 
I  was  a  court  of  appeal  from  the  inferior  provincial  tribu- 
[  nals,  and  all  the  litigious  causes  of  Reval,  Hapsal,  Weis- 
"senstein,  and  Baltischport,  were  decided  there.  But  I 
was  obliged  to  judge  a  Reval  suit  by  the  laws  of  Lubec^ 
an  Hapsal  suit  by  the  laws  of  Sweden,  and  a  Baltisch- 
'  port  one  by  those  of  Russia,  &c.  circumstances  which 
>  rendered  the  administration  of  justice  extremely  compli- 
I  cated  and  troublesome. 

!     M.  de  M  :  (page  92)  carries  his  love  of  paradox  so 

I  far  as  to  maintain,  that  the  Empress  Catherine,  the  friend 
and  the  favourite  of  die  muses,  did  not  patronize  the 
arts  and  sciences,  but  merely  purchased  libraries  and 
collections  of  pictures  from  motives  of  ostentation,  and 
sent  medals  to  German  authors  who  dedicated  their 
works  to  her.  Such  silly  assertions  are  not  worth  re- 
futing, hey  ought  to  be  treated  with  a  srailc  of  coa- 


284  m 

It  is  ridiculous  enough  to  hear  in  what  a  self-sufficijB 

manner  M.  de  M  decides  on  all  the  literary  podH 

lions  that  appeared  during  the  thirty-two  years  of  fl 
reigji  of  Catherine.  Except  a  few  works  on  Nati^ 
History,"  says  he,  no  book  worthy  of  being  knoiB 
clsew^here,  has  honoured  the  Russian  press."  He  was 
doubtless  unacquainted  Avith  the  greater  number,  and 
knew  only  the  title  pages  of  some  of  the  others.  Eulcr, 
for  instance,  bas  escaped  his  notice.  On  the  other  hand, 
he  relates  wonderful  things  of  entire  libraries,  that  had 
been  discovered  among  the  ruins  on  the  banks  of  the  Ir- 
lisch. 

M.  de  M  (page  110)  says,     that  the  Germans 

at  Petersburg  are  all  artizans,  principally  iaylors  and  shoe- 
makers.'^ The  inspector  of  the  stables  might  as  well 
I}ave  added  saddlers,  who  likewise  are  chiefly  of  tli^l 
country.  In  this  view  he  would  not  have  compri^d 
one  half  of  the  Germans  who  inhabit  the  city,  the  num- 
ber of  w^hich  exceeds  thirty  thousand.  Almost  every 
merchant,  and  a  great  number  of  the  peopk  in  office,  are 
Germans.  M.  de  M  also  mistakes  when  he  pre- 
tends, that  more  victuals  are  consumed  in  the  German! 
houses  than  in  others,  and  that  the  guests  are  overwheIm'«j 
cd  with  ceremonies  and  compliments."  It  is  true  in- 
deed, that  the  plain  Germans  have  no  idea  of  the  cow- 
rage  and  frankness  in  w^hich  M.  de  M  so  eminently 

excels. 

The  circumstances  which  he  states  (page  117)  of  the 
colonels  being  the  despots  of  their  respective  regimenlSj 
and  of  every  thing  relating  to  the  economy  of  them  pass- 
ing tlirough  their  hands,  are  not  without  foundation;  but 
he  should  have  added,  "  that  these  abuses  were  reformed 
on  the  accession  of  the  Emperor  Paul  to  the  throne." 

M.  de  M*"'^'*  (P^gG  ^  "^0  charges  the  author  of  the 
Description  of  Petersburg  with  unpardonable  negligence, 
in  having  confounded  his  important  person  as  a  man  oj 
letters  with  that  of  his  brother.  "  Can  any  one,  after 
this/'  says  he,  depend  on  descriptions?"  And  why 
not  ?  Is  it  of  any  consequence  to  the  reader,  to  knowl 
the  author  of  a  few  triHing  verses  ?  If  the  mor  iterest- 


Ing  accounts  pre  exact,  he  will  readily  overlook  matters 
of  such  small  import.  Besides,  M.  de  M*"'^*  ought  ta 
be  happy  whenever  he  is  confounded  with  his  worthy 
[brother.  That  unassuming  respectable  man  lives  oi^k  his 
estate  near  Erlangen,  and  has  not  been  a  little  alarmed 
at  the  publication  of  the  Secret  Memoirs.  Some  people, 
not  having  known  him  personally,  have  taken  him  for 
the  author  of  the  book;  but  he  has  often  explained  him- 
self to  his  friends  on  the  subject,  in  a  very  earnest  and 
serious  manner. 

At  page  132,  M.  de  M— —  unjustly  upbraids  the 
Kmperor  with  having  left  the  most  useful  of  his  mother's 
public  undertakings  in  an  unfinished  state,  and  with- 
having  erected  nothing  but  barracks  and  exercise-houses. 
M.  de  M          among  these  works  mentions  the  quays 

kd  canals,  and  forgets  that  the  Emperor  had  entirely 
.  nked  up  the  Moika  with  free-stone.  He  has  his  rea- 
sons, perhaps,  for  not  mentioning  the  hospital  for  the  re- 
ception of  military  orphans,  which  owes  its  very  exist- 
ence to  that  Monarch ;  and  in  which  upwards  of  eight 
hundred  children  of  both  sexes  are  boarded  and  instruct- 
ed, and  placed  in  suitable  conditions  when  they  have  at- 
tained a  certain  age.  This  institution  is  directed  by  the 
respectable  Colonel  de  Weismarn  and  his  lady,  who^  '^s 
I  have  several  times  ob!^erved  with  great  delight,  is^^e- 
loved  by  the  children  as  a  mother.  The  Emperor  fpe- 
quently  visited  this  asylum  ;  it  was  one  of  his  most  favour- 
ite walks.  He  took  the  most  tender  interest  in  its  wel- 
fare ;  laide  aside  his  crown  on  entering  the  mansion,  and 
appeared  only  as  the  father  of  the  children ;  and  never 
did  he  leave  the  spot  unaccompanied  with  the  benedic- 
tions of  the  innocent  objects  of  his  care.    M.  de  M  

ought  not  to  have  been  silent  on  matters  of  this  nature; 
but  perhaps  his  correspondents  gave  him  no  account  of 
them,  having  enough  to  do  to  furnish  him  with  the  tattle 
of  anti-chambers. 

If  we  were  unacquainted  with  the  reasons  which  in- 
duced M.  de  M  to  spare  the  memory  of  Prince  Po- 

temkin,  we  should  be  surprised  at  the  slight  manner  in 
which  he  touches  upon  the  subject  of  that  famous  maav 


286  ■ 

The  insulting  contempt  he  always  entertained  for  his  f<fl| 

low-creatures,  whom  he  only  considered  as  the  instrBI 

ments  of  his  own  grandeur,  is  but  too  generally  know 
Never  did  the  Emperor  Paul  venture  to  go  half  the 
lengths  in  the  indulgence  of  his  caprices  as  thai  favourite 
had  gone.  Few  people  can  be  strangers  to  the  anecdote 
respecting  the  honest  Moscovite  merchant,  whom  he  or- 
tlered  to  be  taken  up  by  the  police  and  sent  to  Peters- 
burg, for  having  suffered  a  lady  to  see  his  long  beard. 
The  unfortunate  man  arrived  at  the  capital,  and  Potem- 
kin,  having  forgotten  his  beard,  suffered  him  to  languish 
six  months  in  confinement.  At  length  the  satrap  deign- 
ed to  pay  some  attention  to  this  famous  beard  :  the  mer- 
chant was  sent  back  to  Moscow  in  a  ruined  state  of 
health,  and  found  that  his  wife  had  died  with  grief,  and 
that  his  affairs  were  ruined.  The  Emperor  Paul 
committed  acts  of  violence  from  mere  hastiness  of  tem- 
per, but  never  to  gratify  his  caprice;  and  whatever  he 
did,  he  always  imagined  that  he  was  doing  an  act  of 
justice. 

No  one,  except  M.  de  M  ,  has  felt  that  the  death 

of  Potemkin  had  made  an  immense  void  in  the  empire. 
The  story  of  the  Empress  having  fainted  away  three 
times  successively  on  hearing  the  news  of  his  death, 
seems  very  improbable :  at  least  there  are  well-informed 
people  who  pretend  that  his  power  having  attained  to  a 
prodigious  height,  and  grown  superior  to  all  kind  of  con- 
trol, had  become  very  troublesome  to  Catherine,  and 
that  after  his  death  she  acknowledged  heiself  to  be  a 
much  freer  agent  than  before. 

M.  de  Lanskoy,  it  seems,  has  found  singular  favour 
with  our  author.  He  styles  him  the  lover  of  the  arts, 
and  the  friend  of  talents.  In  truth,  he  was  the  most  ig- 
norant man  about  the  Court,  and  the  Empress  always^ 
blushed  for  him  whenever  he  began  tc>  speak. 

M.  de  M  (F>age  164-)  observes,  that  Paul  wis 

more  a  Russian  tiian  his  mother,  and  that  he  always  main- 
tained that  a  Count  or  Prince  of  the  holy  Greek  empire, 
was  preferable  to  one  of  the  holy  Roman  empire.  It  is 
not  my  business  to  decide  whether  the  mother  or  the  son 


287 


wa>  in  the  right;  I  am,  however,  of  opinion,  that  it 
becomes  an  Emperor  of  Russia  to  confer,  with  his  own 
j  hands,  the  dignities  with  which  he  wishes  to  see  his  sub- 
jects decorated. 

At  page  137,  the  author  speaks  in  a  contemptuous 
manner  of  General  Pistor,  one  of  the  most  worthy  Ger- 
mans that  ever  ser\-ed  in  the  Russian  army.  He  calls 
"liim  a  Russian  satellite.  A  little  farther  on,  he  sneers  at 
the  barbarous  names  of  Kretschttnikojf  and  Cachovjske. 
**  Heavens !  what  names !"  says  he,  "  and  the  men  who 
bear  tliem,  are  still  more  uncouth  !"  He  forgets,  how- 
ever, that  the  name  ,  of  his  \\qvo  Kosciusko  is  not  more 
harmonious. 

At  page  173,  M.  de  M  speaks  of  a  statue  that 

|fae  Duke  de  Feuillade  erected  at  his  own  expense,  to 
B|  master  Louis  XIV.  and  he  adds,  "  that  Potemkin  had 
Bnie  nothing  for  Catherine  that  could  be  compared  with 
the  Frenchman's  gallantry."  All  the  actions  of  that  fa- 
vourite were,  indeed,  tainted  with  hypocrisy  and  cru- 
elty:  when  the  Empress  travelled  to  the  Tauride,  Po- 
temkin, supposing  she  might  expect  to  see,  as  she  went 
along,  the  towns  and  flourishing  villages  of  which  he  had 
so  often  spoke  to  her,  had  ordered  representations,  in 
painting,  of  the  fronts  of  the  houses  composing  such 
towns  and  villages,  to  be  erected  on  each  side  the  road. 
To  a  cursory  observer  the  effect  must  have  been  ^'ery 
fine ;  and,  in  order  to  enliven  the  landscape,  it  was  ne- 
cessary to  summon  all  the  peasants  tor  twenty  leagues 
round  the  country  with  their  flocks,  and  to  post  them 
near  these  decorations.  As  the  Empress  went  along,  she 
beheld  the  meadows  covered  with  sheep  and  horned  cat- 
tle, attended  by  well  clothed  shepherds.  She  was  struck 
'  with  tl>e  showy  painted  houses,  and  imagined  she  saw 
the  towns  which  existed  in  the  calendar,*  and  which 
she  found  swarming  with  inhabitants.    This  gallantry 

*  The  Petersburg  calendar,  in  the  reign  of  Catherine,  con- 
tained a  list  of  all  the  cities  either  existing  or  planned  in  the 
l^ussian  empire,  with  their  respective  situations  and  distance 
from  the  capital. 


283 


was  not  in  fact  so  durable  as  tfiat  of  the  Duke  de  la 
illade,  but  it  was  at  least  more  artrullv  fancied. 

The  author  (page  221)  endeavours  to  degrade  on< 
the  best  institutions  of  the  Emperor,  or  at  least  to  lesi 
its  merit:  I  mean  the  permission  which  all  his  subj< 
had^to  direct  their  letters  and  petitions  immediately! 

himself.    M.  deJVJ  tells  us,  there  was  a  kinc 

office  upon  the  palace  stair-ca-^e,  where  everv  one  mij 
deliver  letters,  but  he  adds,  "  that  Paul  finding,  c( 
trary  to  his  expectation,  more  petitions  than  denun< 
tions,  grew  tired  of  noticing  them,  and  that  every  thiii 
soon  fell  into  its  former  chac  ;  Ih^It  the  secretaries  em^ 
ployed  to  examine  the  letters,  bcr  ame,  as  heretofore, 
•the  arbitrators  of  the  unfortunate  people  who  had  had 
recourse  to  their  master." 

It  is  my  dut}'  to  refute  this  accusation.  From  the  nflji 
ment  of  the  Emperor^s  accession  to  the  throne,  to  tffi 
last  day  of  his  life,  every  one  of  his  subjects  were  allowed 
to  make  application  to  him  in  writing,  and  they  were 
sure  of  receiving  a  categorical  answer  in  the  course  of  a 
few  day>^.  The  secretaries  were  in  no  respect  the  arbi- 
trators of  the  petitioner's  fate.  The  man  who  had  dared 
to  make  a  false  extract,  would  certainly  not  have  escaped 
punishment:  the  Emperor  frequently  demanded  a  sight 
of  the  original,  and  ordered  it  to  be  read  to  him.  An- 
instance  of  this  had  taken  place  in  my  own  case,  and  it 
was  nothing  more  than  a  mere  letter  of  thanks  that  I  had' 
written.  The  secretaries  had  always  the  letters  in  their 
possession,  nor  could  they  venture,  under  the  inspection 
of  so  severe  a  master,  to  make  unfair  extracts,  being 
never  sure  that  the  Emperor  might  not  suddenly  require- 
a  sight  of  the  original,  to  satisfy  himself  as  to  the  faith- 
fulness of  the  report. 

It  is  true,  that  the  reporter  had  considerable  influence, 
and  that  the  success  of  the  petition  often  depended  on' 
the  manner  in  which  it  was  represented.  But  was  the 
Monarch  to  blame  for  this?  it  is  natural  that  he  should 
have  confidence  in  the  people  he  had  chosen,  and 
could  not  employ  more  efficacious  means  to  render  tl; 
faithful,  than  by  Liispecling  their  proceedings  occasion:. 


289 


and  unawares.  The  Emperor  could  not  possibly  ha^ 
read  every  petition  he  received ;  and  in  support  of  tliis 
assertion,  1  am  enabled  to  relate  an  anecdote  relative  to 
the  early  part  of  the  present  Emperor's  reign  ;  who,  as 
well  as  his  father,  allows  every  one  to  write  to  him,  and 
even  to  present  their  letters  in  person  ;  and  may  the 
choicest  blessin^js  of  heaven  reward  him  for  this  indul- 
I  gence ! 

Whenever  he  went  from  the  palace  to  the  parade,  hg 
had  to  pass  through  a  triple  row  of  suppliants,  who  held 
their  petitions  in  their  hands.  The  number  of  petitioners 
increasing,  and  the  Emperor  being  unwilhng  to  abolish 
the  privilege,  he  usually  sent  out  his  adjutants  some  mi- 
nutes before  him  to  collect  these  papers.  I  have  been  se- 
veral times  present  at  their  return  to  the  anti-chamber; 
jdiey  were  usually  three  in  number,  and  each  of  them 
Rad  a  handkerchief  filled  with  petitions  in  one  hand,  and 
Jiis  hat  full  in  the  other.  "  O  God !"  cried  the  Emperor 
one  day,  with  a  smile,  when  he  saw^  them  return  thus 
loaded ;  and  the  exclamation  was  by  no  means  impro- 
per, for  there  were  upwards  of  three  hundred  letters  in 
the  hats  and  handkerchiefs.  Every  day  produced  as 
many ;  and  supposing  that  the  Emperor  had  devoted  two 
minutes  to  the  perusal  of  each  letter,  he  ?nust  have  read 
ten  hours  a  day!  Among  these  I  do  not  include  the 
numbers  of  letters  which  came  by  post,  and  which  were 
sent  to  the  Secretary  of  State.  The  Emperor,  thus  oc- 
cupied, would  h^ve  had  no  time  for  the  most  urgent  con- 
cerns of  life,  much  less  for  the  great  business  of  the  em- 
pire. Every  thing  must  have  given  way  to  the  caprice 
of  the  petitioners,  who  often  made  the  most  absurd  re- 
quests. A  woman  one  day  wrote  to  inform  him  she  had 
lost  a  cow,  and  to  beg  another  in  its  place. 

The  practice  introduced  by  the  Emperor  Paul,  of  in- 
serting the  refusals  in  the  public  Gazette,  was  certainly 
X  very  harsh  measure;  but  it  might  always  have  been 
evaded  by  personal  application  to  the  Secretary  of^  State, 
who  had  the  answ^ers  ready  for  the  perusal  of  the  res- 
pective petitioners.  The  Minister  was,  in  fact,  pre- 
isented,  by  the  multiplicity  of  his  avocations,  from  ex- 
2  B 


290  ■ 

pediting  written  answers  to  every  letter  that  was  receHH 
ed  at  his  office. 

M.  de  AI  (page  223)  tells  us,  that  dishonesty  ■ 

inherent  in  the  Russian  Government, and  connected  wifl 
the  national  character,  whicli  is  deficient  in  morals,  prdP 
bity,  and  public  spirit.    Happily,  while  he  was  penning 
tliis  horrid  description,  his  conscience  seems  to  have 
stung  him  a  little,  and  obliged  him  to  add  the  following 
note,  which  he  precedes  by  an  emphatical  exclamation. 

Alas!"  says  he,  "  1  little  thought  while  I  was  writing 
these  lines,  to  find  the  same  infamous  practices  triumph 
in  a  republican  Government,  and  in  a  regenerated  coun- 
try." If^  therefore,  he  is  convinced  that  neither  national 
character  nor  want  of  public  spirit  are  the  real  sources  of 
corruption  and  rapine  in  populous  cities,  but  that  such 
disorders  arise  merely  from  luxury  and  ambition,  why  di^, 
he  not  cancel  his  unjust  assertion?  His  book  would  ceS 
tainly  have  contained  sufficient  invective  against  the  Rus-i 
sian  nation  widiout  this  charge. 

Page  238,  M.  de  M          describes,  simply  from  re*' 

port,  the  prison  of  the  unhappy  Prince  Iwan,  at  Schlus- 
selburg.  He  calls  it  a  dungeon,  the  windows  of  which, 
iie  says,  were  stopped  up  with  planks,  and  scarcely  af- 
forded a  glimpse  ot  light.  I  myself  visited  this  prison 
in  the  year  1782,  when  I  accompanied  General  Bawr 
down  the  canal  of  Schlusselburg  to  its  outlet  in  the  lake 
of  Ludoga.  I  found  it,  indeed,  gloomy  enough,  buf 
not  to  the  degree  M.  de  M — —  represents  it ;  I  saw  tht 
chamber  in  which  the  Prince  was  confined;  it  was  lofty 
and  spacious,  and  sufficiently  light.  The  sky,  however^ 
could  not  be  seen  from  the  chamber,  on  account  of  tb<; 
^reat  height  of  the  walls  that  inclosed  the  court  in  whict 
it  was  situated ;  but  the  Commander  assured  us  that  the 
Prince  had  permission  to  walk  out  into  the  area. 

1  shall  pass  over  several  anecdotes  which  M.  deM— — 
scatters  over  his  book,  to  show  his  own  importance  an( 
the  extent  of  his  connections.  At  one  time,  it  is  such  ; 
one,  at  another,  this  or  that  person,  who  had  patronize? 
and  provided  for  him.  Supposing  all  this  to  be  true,  c 
whjtt  usQ  is  the  display  of  so 'much  vanity }  what  are  thos 


291 


people  to  us,  in  whose  favour  he  condescends  to  act  the 
part  of  a  German  pickthank  ?  and  what  concern  have  we 
with  the  flattering  letters  he  had  written  to  kept  women 
to  obtain  a  few  hundred  roubles,  or  a  paltry  place  ?  The 
author  ought  to  feel,  that  in  relating  such  trifles,  he 
yveakens  the  impression  he  would  fain  make  on  his  read- 
ers, by  the  display  of  his  grand  principles  of  liberty. 
,  With  all  possible  self-love,  the  writer  is  ever  laying 
hold  of  opportunities  of  speaking  of  himself.  At  page 
249,  Ave  are  obliged  to  hear  him  recite  a  pickthank  busi- 
ness in  verse,  in  which  the  honour  paid  to  the  memory 
of  Catherine  forms  a  singular  contrast  with  the  horrid 
things  he  relates  of  her  in  his  Secret  Memoirs.  In  these 
verses  he  speaks  thus  of  that  Princess : 

«*  The  north's  fierce  eagle  cowers  on  the  ground; 
H         «'  Its  bright  star  beams  no  more,**  &c. 

,  And  at  page  67,  in  the  second  volume,  he  caHs  this  very 
star  an  old  fury. 

At  page  265,  and  a  little  further  on,  the  reader  is  al- 
lowed to  recover  himself  a  little  from  the  efl^ects  of  the 
multitude  of  caricatures  with  which  he  had  been  long 
pestered.  We  here  find  a  description  equally  beautiful 
and  just  of  the  person  and  character  of  the  Empress- 
mother.    But  this  pleasure  is  of  short  duration ;  and,  as 

if  M.  de  M  w^ere  utterly  averse  to  say  a  handsome 

thing  of  any  one,  he  adds,  in  a  note,  **  that  it  must  be 

i  acknowledged  her  good  qualities  are  not  a  httle  obscured 
by  vanity." 

Those  who  know  that  this  Princess  has  been  the  great 
benefactress  of  the  author,  must  shudder  to  observe  the 
frankness  and  courage  with  which  he  had  been  able  to 
[Stifle  and  suppress  his  criminal  gratitude. 

At  page  271,  he  judges  equally  erroneously  of  the 
reigning  Emperor ;  and  if  there  were  no  other  proof  thai 
the  author  was  never  in  any  situation  about  the  Grand 
Duke,  which  could  enable  him  to  judge  of  the  worth  of 

\;  Pr'nce,  this  alone  would  be  sufficient.    FJe  thus 

i)ros>Gs  himself — Alexander  is  of  a  happy  butpassive 
t  disposition  •  he  possesses  nejither  resolution  nor  confidence 


202 


sufficient  to  look  out  for  men  of  merit,  who  arc  alwajM 
modest  and  reserved/'  M 

One  single  day  of  his  reign  has  been  sufficient  to  rdl 
fute  this  silly  assertion.  The  choice  he  has  made  of  thfl 
vjynght  Bek/eschejr  for  Court-Advocate ;  of  Count  PaniM 
Prince  Kourukin,  of  Troschinski,  for  Ministers  ;  of  U-iM 
xiliejf  for  Treasurer,  &c.  proves  with  what  a  penetraB 
ing  eye  the  youthful  monarch  can  distinguish  real  meriJ 
and  with  what  laudable  eagerness  he  exercised  his  judgj 
raent.  J  shall  not  copy  the  ridiculous  predictions  of  mJ 
de  M— — ,  they  do  not  merit  refutation.  ■ 

M.  de  M  has  done  Count  Nicolas  SoltikofF  th« 

honour  to  say  nothing  about  him.  He  is  satisfied  with 
having  named  him,  and  with  putting  four  rows  of  points 
•after  his  titles.  It  is  probable  that  his  sublime  genius 
could  not,  in  the  present  instance,  entirely  triumph  ovem 
the  sentiments  of  crwiinal  gratitude. 

M.  de  M.  (page  308)  accuses  the  Emperor  of 

having  treated  the  old  regiment  of.guards  with  too  much 
contempt.  "  The  severest  thing,"  adds  he,  "  this 
Prince  could  say  to  those  officers  with  whom  he  was 
dissatisfied,  was,  that  they  were  only  Jit  to  serve  in  the 
guards."  Supposing  this  anecdote  to  be  true,  the  Em- 
peror was  far  from  wrong.  The  officers  of  the  guards, 
during  the  reign  of  Catherine,  were  effeminate  in  their 
manners  and  their  dress ;  they  drove  about  the  streets 
in  whiskeys  and  four,  were  great  men  at  the  theatres, 
gamed  deeply,  and  kept  opera  girls.  I  speak  from  my 
own  observation.  The  guards  at  this  period  were  very 
favourable  to  the  advancement  of  young  men  of  family 
and  fortune.  Any  man  who  had  connections  at  Courtj 
could  procure  his  son  to  be  enrolled  in  a  regiment  while 
he  was  an  infant  in  his  cradle ;  and  his  promotion  took 
place  as  regularly  as  in  real  service.  My  eldest  son^ 
though  a  child,  was  appointed  corporal  of  the  guards 
then  foiirier,  and  afterwards  ensign,  without  ever  hav- 
ing been  at  Petersburg^  or  seen  the  regiment  to  whicl 
he  belonged.  On  this  footing  he  would  have  advance(' 
with  four  thousand  of  his  little  comrades,  had  not  Paul 
on  his  accession  to  the  throne,  suddenly  dismissed  ever 


29S 


officer  of  the  guards  who  was  not  capable  of  service. 
This  regulation  gave  me  sotne  pain  at  the  time,  yet  I 
could  not  but  feel  that  it  was  perfectly  just. 

M.  de  M  (page  312)  relates  the  story  of  the  ad- 
vancement oi'  Count  de  Rosiopschin,  who  was  a  consider- 
able time  minister  of  foreign  affairs,  and  in  high  favour  at 
Court.  I  shall  take  this  opportunity  of  adding  the  his- 
tory of  his  disgrace;  I  have  it  from  the  best  authority, 
and  it  reflects  great  honour  on  the  Emperor. 

It  is  well  known  that  Count  de  Panin,a  man  of  great 
integrity,  had  fallen  a  sacrifice  to  the  dexterous  jealousy 
of  that  Minister,  and  that  the  Emperor  had  exiled  him 
to  one  of  his  country-seats  near  Moscow.  Some  time 
afterwards,  a  gentleman  belonging  to  the  office  of  foreign 
'affairs,  whose  name  I  forget,  made  a  tour  through  that 
neighbourhood,  and  having  written  a  friendly  letter  to 
jVI.  de  Muravvieff,  of  Petersburg,  he  mentioned  among 
other  things  that  lie  had  visited  Cincinnatus  at  his  farm. 
He  likewise  added  tjie  nam.es  of  some  relations  he  had 
been  with,  and  entered  into  some  family  particulars  of  a 
very  harmless  nature.  This  letter  fell  into  the  hands  of 
Count  de  Rosiopschin,  who  considered,  or  rather  affect- 
ed to  consider  it,-  as  having  a  suspicious  tendency.  He 
laid  it  -before  the  Em.peror,  and  endeavoured  to  persuade 
his  Majesty  that  Count  de  Panin  was  the  writer,  and  had 
made  use  of  anoiher  name  to  serve  his  own  purposes; 
that  Cincinnatus  meant  Prince  Repn2u,3.nd  the  names  of 
the  pretended  relations  sigiilfied  the  friends  and  partizans 
of  that  Prince. 

The  Emperor  had  a  great  opinion  of  the  discernrhent  of 
his'minister,  and  sent  orders  to  Count  de  SoltikofF,  the 
Governor  of  Moscow,  to  reprimand  Count  de  Panin  on 
the  subject  of  this  letter.  The  Count  declared  he  had 
not  written  at  all  to  Petersburg.  The  Emperor,  blinded 
by  prejuiiice,  took  his  denial  for  mere  obstinacy,  and 
became  extremely  irritated  against  him.  '  He  sent 
the  original  letter  to  Moscow,  in  order  to  convict  the 
posed  writer  of  falsehood,  and  at  the  same  time  com- 
.  ...ided  him  to  remove  to  another  of  his  est&tes  tw9 
hundred  \  erstes  farther  off.  • 


294 


During  these  transactions  the  real  writer  of  the  letter, 
"W^ho  }iappened  to  be  still  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Mos- 
cow, was  informed  of  the  whole  business.  He  had  the 
Highest  esteem  for  Count  de  Panin,  who  had  formerly 
been  his  benefactor,  and  he  was  prompted  by  honour 
and  gratitude  to  do  every  thing  in  his  power  to  excul- 
pate him.  He  was  much  alarmed  at  the  mischief  in 
which  he  had  unconsciously  involved  him,  and  he 
immediately  set  off  for  the  capital  and  explained  the 
whole  affhrr  to  Count  Kutaissoff,  referred  to  his  own 
hand-writing,  and  confessed  he  meant  by  Cincinnatus, 
Count  de  Panjn ;  that  he  had  not  called  him  so  to  dis- 
guise his  true  name,  but  on  account  of  the  striking  simi- 
larity which  he  conceived  to  exist  between  the  charac- 
ter of  the  Count  and  of  that  worthy  Roman.  Report  of 
this  deposition  was  instantly  made  to  the  Emperor,  an(^ 
at  the  same  time  an  account  arrived  from  Moscow,  stat- 
ing that  the  letter  was  not  the  hand-writing  of  Count  de 
Panin.  His  Majesty  seemed  much  burton  the  occasion, 
and  exclaimed  with  noble  warmth  :  "  He  is  a  monster, 
and  would  make  me  the  instrument  of  his  secret  venge- 
ance I  I  must  rid  myself  of  him."  Count  de  Rostops- 
chin  was  accordingly  dismissed  from  his  service. 

At  page  315,  the  author  pours  out  a  torrent  of  abuse 
and  invective  against  Baron  de  Nicolai,  President  of  the 
Academy  and  Counsellor  of  State,  a  gentleman  well 
known  in  Germany  for  his  excellent  poetical  produc- 
tions, adored  by  his  inferiors  as  a  father,  esteemed  by 
his  friends  for  his  Integrity  and  humanity,  and  respected 
by  all  who  knew  him  for  his  talents  and  genius.  He  has 
doubtless  had  the  misfortune  of  being  blind  to  the  great 
merit  of  our  author,  or  perhaps  he  may  have  considered 
some  of  his  verses  to  have  been  a  little  insipid ;  other- 
wise the  writer  of  the  Memoirs  would  not  surely  have 
?^aid,  that  a  man  so  generally  respected  as  M.  de  Nico- 
]ai  is,  had  received  a  few  hundred  souls  (peasants  belong- 
ing to  an  estate)  to  finish  the  corruption  of  his  own,  and 
that  he  was  the  tyrant  of  his  village,  &c.  That  M.  de 
Nicolai  had  complained  that  his  boors  in  Fiiiland  pro- 
duced him  scarcely  any  revenue,  signified  neither  moro 


295 


nor  less  than  if  the  proprietor  of  an  estate  in  Germany 
should  lament  that  it  produced  him  but  a  trifle.  A  mail 
must  be  possessed  of  a  v^ery  malignant  frankness  indeed 
to  attack  the  reputation  of  a  person  of  M.  de  Nicolai*s 
worth,  upon  such  vague  grounds.  But  whose  reputa- 
tion is  sacred  in  the  eyes  of  M,  de  M  —  ?  What  he 

likewise  hints  respecting  the  haughty  reserve  of  M.  de 
Nicolai,  is  equally  false;  I  never  observed  the  least 
symptom  of  it.  It  is  possible,  that  he  thought  it  neces- 
sary to  be  on  his  guard  with  M.  de  M  ,  and  the  event 

has  proved  that  he  was  in  the  right. 

M.  de  M  adds,  that  the  German  scribblers  treat- 
ed M.  de  Nicolai  as  a  Maecenas.  I  foresee  he  will  in- 
clude me  in  the  number,  but  this  gives  me  no  concern. 
I  shall  only  add,  that  I  have  not  the  happiness  to  be 
particularly  known  to  M.  de  Nicolai,  and  I  consider  that 
on  the  present  occasion  J  am  doing  honour  to  my  pen 
in  making  it  subservient,  without  the  least  personal  mo- 
tives, to  the  eulogium  of  virtue  and  talents. 

At  page  326,  the  author  seems  desirous  of  persuading 
his  readers  that  he  had  succeeded  the  estimable  La  Harpe. 
He  is  always  solicitous  to  join  his  name  with  that  of 
some  celebrated  man,  as  the  wren  seats  itself  on  the  back 
of  the  eagle  to  approach  nearer  to  the  sun.  La  Harpe 
and  M  •  ,  says  he,  who  were  about  the  young  Prince. 
The  expression  was  artfully  chosen ;  the  reader  may 
naturally  conclude  they  had  filled  the  same  post.  He 
afterwards  adds,  that  the  old  tutor  of  Paul  was  likely  to 
experience  the  fate  of  Seneca  and  Burrhus.  Of  vvhat 
ase  can  such  falsities  be?  It  is  well  known  that  old 
Aepinus  is  out  of  his  mind,  and  that  he  receives  a  consi- 
ierable  pension. 

'   M.  de  M          (page  340)  says,  that  tlie  Emperor, 

hrough  a  refinement  of  vengeance,  forbad  Mad.  Huss 
i.o  accompany  M.  de  Markoff  in  his  exile,  while  it  is 
•  notorious  that  this  lady  left  the  stage,  and  immediately 
j  loined  the  disgraced  minister,  with  whomt  she  has  re- 
;  nained  ever  since. 
1  I  now  come  to  two  passages  which  oblige  me  to  go 
i)ack  an(^  copy  a  few  periods  from  the  author's  preface. 


296 


"  I  shall  nol  imitate  those  writers,"  says  he,     who,  iit- 
der  pretence  of  furnishing  memoirs  and  anecdotes  of  tl 
countries  through  which  they  liave  travelled,  ransac 
the  private  concerns  of  individuals,  anfl  expose  fami 
secrets.    To  asperse  the  characters  of  the  inhabitaiits  of  a 
country,  is  hut  a  bad  "vcay  of /acknowledging  the  hospitality 
"jc-e  hare  received  from  them  J" 

Here  M.  de  M  has  pronounced  sentence  against 

himself.  Not  content  with  having  slandered,  in  the 
most  shameful  manner,  the  inhabitants  of  Russia  and 
their  national  character,  he  exposes  family  secrets,  re- 
lates disgraceful  anecdotes  of  Count  Romanzo  and  his 
children  ;  and" would  have  his  benefactor,  Couftt  Solti- 
koff,  send  his  wife  I  am  ashamed  to  copy  his  in- 

decent language.  What  judgment,  therefore,  shall  we 
form  of  a  man  who  ostentatiously  displays,  in  his  pre- 
face, principles  of  honour  and  delicacy,  and  violates  them 
in  so  flagrant  a  manner  in  every  page  of  his  book  ? 
,  I  now  come  to  the  end  of  his  first  volume,  after  having 
experienced  no  small  degree  of  trouble  and  disgust,  dur- 
ing the  perusal  of  it,  and  I  am  very  averse  to  go  on  with 
a  task  that  nnist  create  me  st:!l  more.  If  I  lived  in  Rus- 
cia  I  should  remciin  silent,  not  only  to  avoid  all  suspicion 
of  bein^  influenced  by  improper  notions,  but  because  il 
v/culd  be  absolutely  superfluoa*?  to  refute  calumnies  ir 
a  country  where  they  are  generally  known  to  be  such 
As  I  live,  however,  in  a  distant  nation,  where  I  find,  t( 
mv  great  asianishment,  the  falsehoods  and  calumnies  o; 

M.  de  M          have  met  with  some  belief,  I  therefop 

consider  it  as  a  duty,  which  the  love  of  truth  and  tb 
feelings  of  gratitude  impose  upon  me,  to  continue  my  re 
futation. 

I  shall  say  nothing  of  his  ridiculous  predictions  at  th. 
beginning  or'  the  second  volume,  by  which  he  endes 
vours  to  excite  the  Ru-^sians  to  revolt,  in  imitaHon  ( 

the  French.     Time  has  shown  that  M.  de  M  

though  a  great  compiler  of  anecdotes,  is  but  a  sorry  pol 
tlcian.  We  see  with  indignation,  what  pams  he  h; 
taken  to  stir  up  the  principal  nobility  agaii.  t  ih  nr  la  ■ 
ful  Sovereign.    Fortunately  for  Russia,  M.  dc  M — 


291 


Is  not  a  man  whose  machinations  are  likely  to  do  mis- 
diief ;  and  the  great  families  whose  names  he  has  so  un- 
warrantably made  use  oi]  treat  him  with  deserved  con- 
tempt. 

In  a  note  at  page  26,  M.  de  M  says,  that  in  Li- 
vonia children  are  sometimes  taken  from  the  breast  of 
their  mothers,  to  make  way  for  puppies  which  have  lost 
theirs.  A  shocking  accusation !  1  have  been  long  and 
■well  acquainted  with  Livonia  and  Estonia,  yet  I  never 
heard  of  any  such  practices;  and  bad  must  be  the  heart 
of  a  man,  who  could  advance  such  a  charge  vvithout 

proof.    Let  M.  de  M          name  the  place  where  this 

has  ever  happened.  He  who  has  seen,  heard,  experienced, 
and  felt,  every  thing  which  he  has  recorded,  ought, 
doubtless,  to  name  the  monstrous  actors  of  such  scenes, 
or  the  reader  will  be  apt  to  take  the  story  for  one  of  the 
many  fables  that  are  crowded  into  his  w  ork, 

M.  de  M  (page  82)  declares,  "  that  theft  is  the 

prevailing  vice  in  Russia.  I  doubt,'*  adds  he,  "  if  any 
people  upon  earth  are  more  naturally  inclined  to  pilfer 
the  property  of  one  another  than  the  Russians ;  from  the 
first  minister  and  general  of  an  army,  down  to.  the  lackey, 
or  common  soldier,  all  steal,  and  pilfer,  and  cheat.  A 
stranger,*'  continues  he,  "  who  travels  with  a  Russian, 
of  whatever  rank  the  latter  may  be,  will  learn  to  his  cost 
not  to  leave  any  thing  on  his  dressin^table  or  desk.*'* 
However  atrocious  this  accusation  may  be  in  itself,  it 
;  becomes  still  more  so  on  account  of  the  reason  which  the 
writer  alleges  for  this  propensity.  "Why  are  the  Rus- 
*sians,"  says  he,  ''greater  thieves  than  other  half-civilized 
nations?  It  is  owing  to  the  immorality  of  the  Greek  re- 
ligion." This  is  arrant  nonsense!  Every  one  knows, 
4hat  the  French  were  never  more  notoriously  guilty  of 
robbery  and  knavery  of  every  kind,  than  at  the  very  time 

*  The  moment  after  I  had  written  this,  I  read  the  following 
.piece  of  intelligence  in  the  Clef  du  Cabinet:  "  Plunder  and  rob-  ^ 
bery  are  so  common  in  France,  that  many  people  consider  them- 
selves unfortunate,  merely  for  want  of  opportunities  of  com- 
mitting such  crimes."  Shall  we  form  from  hence  a  general 
^  'opinion  of  the  French  ? 


298 


i»  which  Ihcy  were  paying  homage  fo  the  Goddess  of 
Reason,  and  overthrowing  every  other  altar ;  consequent- 
ly M.  de  M  must  maintain,  according  to  his  way 

of  arguing,  that  such  enormities  were  owing  to  the  ini'- 
morality  of  reason.  He  endeavours  to  support  his  asser- 
tion by  the  examples  of  several  nations  subject  to  the 
Russian  empire,  which  are  not  of  the  Greek  commu- 
nion. He  is,  however,  much  mistaken;  the  Livonians 
and  Estonians,  whom  he  names  among  others,  are  as 
much  addicted  to  theft  and  drunkenne!?s  as  the  Russians ; 
and  the  Tocheranists  and  Tiinguoes,  among  whom  I  my- 
self have  been,  have  by  no  means  a  better  reputation. 

In  general  M.  de  M          suffers  himself  to  be  drawn 

into  the  strangest  paradoxes  and  most  palpable  contra- 
dictions. In  support  of  this  charge  1  shall  mention  the 
singular  motive  to  which  he  ascribes  the  source  of  Rus- 
-aian  hospitality. — ''Their  possessions,"  says  he,  are  so 
insecure,  that  they  live,  as  it  were,  but  from  day  to  da^, 
and  therefore  willingly  dispense  their  precarious  pit- 
tances." Never  since  Russia  has  been  a  country,  have 
such  motives  of  hospitality  prevailed.  To  this  I  may 
add,  the  disdainful  and  ludicrous  manner  in  which  hel 
speaks  of  the  Russian  soldiers:  "  they  are  brave,^^  says 
he,  "  out  of  cowardice."    One  would  imagine  M.  de 

M  had  belonged  to  M.  Schleget^s  school,  so  ridicu^ 

lous  is  his  extravagance, and  so  extravagant  his  ridicule.^  > 

At  page  113,  it  is  the  Russian  ladies'  turn  to  be  il! 
treated,  in  order  that  neither  sex  nor  condition  may  fisc! 

any  quarter  with  him.    M.  de  M  names  three  or 

four  husbands,  who,  according  to  the  family  anecdotes  h< 
has  heard,  are  ruled  by  their  wives,  and  he  conclude' 
from  thence,  that  petticoat-government  prevails  all  ovem 
the  empire.  A  man,  who  on  every  occasion  names  thill 
French  as  models  of  perfection,  should  refrain  fronil 
touching  upon  that  point,  as  there  is  no  country  in  Eu'H 
rope  in  which  females  have  had,  and  still  have,  so  muclll 
influence  as  in  France.  His  anecdotes  besides  are  noaj 
authentic.  Where  he  asserts,  that  Count  Puschkin,  ''VhtB 
commanded  in  Finland,  dared  not  make  a  raoveraeiiH 
Tvithout  having  dispatc!  ed  a  courier  to  his  lady  ibr  acH 


^99 


vice,  I  should  be  inclined  to  consider  it  as  mere  plea- 
santry, if  he  did  not  support  it  by  the  most  serious  as^ 
sertions.  It  is  likewise  not  true,  that  Madame  de  Mer- 
lin commanded  the  regiment  of" Tobolsk  at  Narva,  as  no 
Colonel  of  that  name  had  ever  been  at  the  head  of  it. 
It  had  been  for  some  time  commanded  by  a  Russian  of 
the  name  of  Merlin :  the  officers  were  chiefly  Germaais 
and  French,  and  I  never  knew  any  of  them  mean  enough 
lo  make  their  reports  to  Madame  Merlin  at  her  toilet. 

At  page  121,  he  observes,  "  I  am  not  the  first  who 
has  remarked,  that  in  Russia  the  women  are  in  general 
more  barbarous  and  wicked  than  the  men,  in  as  much 
Sis  they  are  still  more  ignorant  and  superstitious  than 
they.  They  seldom  travel,  learn  scarcely  any  tiling, 
and  never  use  their  needle.  They  rarely  ever  read,  and 
are  still  seldomer  employed  in  domestic  concerns.'" 

I  know  not  whether  M.  deM  has  seen  more  good 

company  in  Russia  than  I  have;  but  I  can  with  great 
truth  assert,  I  have  every  where  found  just  the  contrary 
of  vvh^t  he  is  pleased  to  advance.  The  ladies  of  Peters- 
burg are  not  indeed  free  from  the  failings  which  are  in 
general  ascribed  to  those  of  all  great  cities,  but  they  pos- 
less  virtues  for  which  we  may  look  in  vain  in  many 
jther  capitals. 

The  horrid  things  M.  de  M  relates  of  Princess 

K — ky,  prove  nothing.  Let  the  author  read  Klem's 
Annals  of  the  Government  of  Prussia,  and  he  will  find 
he  story  of  a  woman  still  more  execrable,  who  tortured 
ler  own  daughter  to  death  :  it  would,  however,  be  silly 
o  conclude  from  thence,  that  the  Prussian  women  are 

:i\iel.  It  is  besides  remarkable  enough,  thatM.  deM  

hould  conceal  the  name  of  this  fury,  and  treat  her  in 
>ther  respects  with  such  apparent  favour.  Throughout 
lis  book  he  does  not  scruple  to  name  at  full  length  what- 
:ver  worthy  or  distinguished  person  he  wishes  to  defame, 
nd  this  abominable  woman  is  spared.    His  sympathy 

Iterhaps  suggested  this  indulgence.  He  is  also  equally 
ind  to  another  lady  of  the  Court,  who  had  shut  up  her 
air-dresser  for  three  years  togedier  in  a  dark  cage.— - 
Vhy  does  not  the  autJior,  who  names  every  one  else. 


30C 


tell  the  world  who  this  monster  is  ?  Why  has  she  escaped 
his  indignation  any  more  than  the  worthy  Baron  de  Ni- 
colai,  and  a  hundred  others,  who  never  shut  up  people 
in  cages  ? 

I  beg  leave  to  doubt  the  existence  of  the  horrible 
'Physique,  said  to -have  been  discovered  at  Moscow.  The 

report  indeed  reached  me,  as  it  did  M.  de  M  ,  but 

I  have  no  better  proofs  of  the  truth  of  it  than  he  has. — 
Besides,  if  such  club  did  exist,  it  is  not  more  imperious 
to  the  reputation  of  the  Russian  women,  than  the  asso- 
ciations of  the  same  kind,  which  formerly  administered 
their  poison  in  Paris, and  perhaps  still  do,  are  to  the  French 
women  in  general. 

At  page  135,  M.deM — says,  "  it  is  not  in  Russia  we 
must  look  for  women  like  the  Julia  of  Rousseau,  as  the 
land  of  slavery  is  not  the  scene  of  the  tender  and  elevated 
passions.  Yet  he  discovers  in  that  very  country  much 
sensibility,  and  much  interesting  melancholy."  What 
contradictions ! 

At  page  136,  he  says,  "  the  Russian  women  rarely 
possess  any  of  the  domestic  virtues.    Those  virtues  are 

indeed  uncommon  in  great  cities."    If  M.  de  M  

had  seen  more  of  Russia  than  what  he  could  have  seer 
at  Petersburg,  he  would  perhaps  have  held  a  different 
language.  I  say  perhaps,  for  it  is  probable  he  would 
have  surveyed  every  object  with  a  jaundiced  eye. 

While  the  author  treats  the  Rui.sian  ladies  with  suci 
severity,  he  reserves  all  his  panegyric  tor  the  class  oi 
preceptors,  who,  according  to  his  account,  have  emi 
nently  contributed  to  civilize  the  country.    I  recollec 

to  have  heard  that  M.  de  M          began  his  career  ir 

that  line,  and  this  accounts  for  his  partiality.  The  Gar 
mans,  as  one  might  have  foreseen,  are  made  to  serve  a 
shades  to  the  picture,  and  he  takes  care  to  ridicule  thei 
pednqogical  erudition. 

One  of  the  most  flagrant  falsities  in  his  book,  is  th 
assertion  he  has  made,  "  that  there  are  no  public  schooi 
in  the  provinces  of  Livonia,  Estonia,  and  Courland.I 
The  academy  of  nobles  at  Reval,  the  excellent  publi' 
seminary  of  that  town,  the  academy  of  Riga,  and  mar 


other  establishments  of  this  kind  in  tiic  same  j)lace,  arc 
so  generally  and  so  advantageously  known,  that  we  can- 
not tax  the  writer  with  ignorance,  but  must  ascribe  his 
assertions  to  more  odious  motives.  The  schools  ol"  these 
provinces  are,  in  some  respects,  preferable  to  those  in 
Germany ;  and  it  is  well  known,  that  the  young  Livo- 
nians,  Estonians  and  Courlanders,  who  finish  their  edu- 
cation at  German  universities,  are  generally  remarkable 
for  elegant  erudition. 

I  At  page  211,  the  author  relates  his  own  history  ;  and 
with  singular  modesty  he  declares,  that  he  rendered  him- 
self dear  to  his  friends  by  the  gentleness  of  his  manners, 
and  gained  their  esteem  by  his  wit  and  good  sense.  He 
quotes,  with  nmch  complacency,  a  kind  of  apology,  which 
1  appeared  in  the  name  of  his  relations  and  friends  in  M. 
d^Archenholtz\s  Minerva,  and  which  censured  the  too 
hasty  conduct  of  the  Emperor  towards  him.  Of  this 
piece  he  gives  a  literal  translation  in  his  memoirs.  I  am 
sorry,  however,  to  be  forced  to  convince  him  of  his 
icrror  ;  the  author  of  this  apology  is  no  other  person  than 
myself.  Among  all  his  boasted  relations,  not  a  soul  stood 
forward  in  his  behalf.  I  thought  to  have  done  him  some 
service  by  publishing  the  paper.  M.  d'Archenholtz  him- 
self can  confirm  this  fact,  to  whom  I  sent  at  the  same 
time  another  piece,  entitled.  On  the  Administration  of 
Justice  in  Fussia,  in  the  German  Provinces,  but  wilhout 
affixing  any  name.    At  that  period  I  believed  M.  de 

M  to  have  been  entirely  innocent.  I  should  have  been 

far  from  espousing  his  cause,  had  I  known  what  lie  has 
since  given  us  to  understand  (page  233)  that  he  was 
concerned  in  certain  political  plans :  I  conceived  liim  to 
be  innocent  of  the  charge,  as  his  interest  and  influence 
were  very  low,  and  the  pretended  Phihidelphic  Socieit/ 
signified  nothing  at  all.  His  pertness,  however,  shows 
that  the  Emperor  Paul  acted  wiselv  in  sending  him  out 
I:)f  his  dominions.    It  is  not  true,  that  the  Emperor  se- 

':|uestered  the  fortune  of  the  two  Madames  de  M  . 

riie  elder  brother  conveyed  his  fortune  out  ofthe^coun- 
:ry,  and  if  the  younger  did  not  do  so  also,  it"  was  bc- 
2  c 


302 


cause  he  had  a  law-suit  at  Petersburg,  which  enabled  iua 
adversary  to  claim  and  to  obtain  security. 

At  the  close  of  these  remarks  I  shall  insert  one  of  the 
most  offensive  passages  in  the  memoirs,  relative  to  the 
slavery  of  the  peasants,  and  to  which  I  shall  freely  add 
some  observations  of  my  own.  Heaven  be  praised!  the 
moment  is  now  arrived  in  which  it  is  not  dangerous  to 
speak,  and  in  which,  likewise,  a  hint  properly  applied, 
may  be  attended  with  very  salutary  efiects. 

"  The  lower  ranks  of  people  in  Russia,"  says  M.  de 

M  ,     are  averse  to  industry,  because  they  never 

labour  for  themselves,  and  have  in  fact  no  idea  of  pro- 
perty. They  are  without  country,  laws,  religion,  m 
rality,  or  honour ;  addicted  to  theft,  to  rapine,  to  knaver 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  they  are  hospitable,  serviceab 
lively,  trusty,  and  courageous."  (What  contradiction 
what  incomparable  contradictions!)  "  In  order  that 
few  tl.ousand  men  should  have  wheaten  bread,  thir 
millions  of  slaves  must  eat  grass  and  gnaw  the  bark 
trees,  like  beavers,  which  animals,  in  point  of  intel 
gence,  are  much  their  superiors.  Should  these  wretch 
people  have  laid  up  a  pittance,  their  masters  take  it  fro 
them.,  and  render  their  captivity  still  more  abject.  JVlen 
with  grey  heads  and  patriarchal  beards,  prostrate  them- 
selves on  the  ground,  and  suffer  themselves  to  be  flogged! 
like  children.  There  are  some  masters  who  have  even' 
forced  the  son  to  scourge  his  own  father.  If  the  peasant, 
is  fallen  for  a  soldier,  his  lord  has  a  right  to  give  his  wife; 
to  another;  and  if  he  has  any  children,  they  are  so  dis 
posed  of  that  he  is  certain  sever  to  see  them  again." 

It  would  be  superfluous  to  refute  all  these  horrid  as 
sertions.  Every  atrocity  which  might  perhaps  have  bee: 
com.mitted  one  single  time,  is  carefully  collected  by  JM 

de  M  ,  and  transformed  into  a  national  custom  o 

a  fundamental  law.  Exaggerations  only  tend  to  mak 
bad  worse,  and  counteract  the  good  which  might  resu] 
from  cool  and  impartial  discussion. 

For  mv  own  part,  I  have  always  found  in  my  diffei 
ent  jouriiies  through  Russia,  that  the  peasants  are  lab 
rious  and  actiji^e,  that  they  love  their  country,  have  di 


303 


inct  notions  of  right  and  wrong,  are  in  general  in  easy 
;ircumstances,  and  that  their  habitations  are  clean  and 
leat,  their  disposition  gay,  and  that  contentment  is  mark- 
id  upon  their  countenances.  They  are  not  unacquaint- 
;d  with  the  nature  of  property  and  possessions ;  they  are 
:ensible  that  when  they  have  saved  a  little  sum,  they  can 
)ffer  it  to  their  master,  and  thereby  obtain  his  leave  to 
jxercise  their  industry  from  the  extremities  of  the  em- 
jire  to  the  metropolis.  They  know,  and  they  have  seen, 
;hat  a  hundred  thousand  of  their  comrades  have  obtained 
;hese  benefits,  and  they  themselves  aspire  to  the  sarhe 
idVantages.  Their  principal  traffic  consists  in  fish,  wood, 
md  vegetables,  and  their  labour  is  employed  in  brick- 
naking,  tiling,  masonry,  carpenters'  work,  &c.    In  a 

word,  the  gloomy  picture  M.  de  M          draws  is,  at 

most,  applicable  to  the  peasantry  of  Livonia  and  Estonia, 
ind  not  at  all  to  those  of  the  empire  at  large. 

I  shall  not  deny,  that  the  author  is  in  a  great  degree 
right  respecting  these  two  provinces.  I  shall  confine 
my  remarks  to  Estonia,  being  better  acquainted  with  it 
than  with  Livonia.  There,  I  must  confess,  the  peasant 
has  neither  property  nor  the  prospect  of  possessing  any. 
He  is  a  slave  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  and  a  negro  in 
Jamaica  has  no  cause  to  envy  his  lot. 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  insinuate,  that  all  the  nobles  of 
Estonia  are  tyrants :  there  are  many  among  them  who 
respect  the  laws  of  humanity,  and  the  following,  I  have 
the  pleasure  to  observe,  from  my  own  knowledge, 
come  under  that  description:  Messrs.  de  Toll  of, Elz, 
;d'Essen  of  Erras,  Wilkinson  of  Chudleigh,  d'Ungern- 
Sternberg  of  Linden,  de  Sckilling  of  Orsena,  de  Kru- 
senterr  of  Jerlap,  de  Mayendorf  of  Sallentack,  de  Rosen 
of  Rackamois,  de  Rebinder  of  Kurtena,  de  Klugen  of 
Schwarzen,  de  Klugen  of  Lodensee,  de  Rennekampf  of 
Koch,  &c.  &c.  I  could  con<^iderably  augment  the  list, 
but  it  would  be  useless  while  a  part  only  of  the  rest  are 
unlike  them.  A  peasant  may  have  the  good  fortune  to 
live  twenty  or  thirty  years  under  a  kind  master;  twelve 
months  after,  perhaps,  the  estate  is  sold.  The  new 
landlord,  eager  to  make  the  most  of  his  purchase,  maj 


504 


remove  whole  villages  into  the  marshes,  and  take  pJ 
session  himself  of  the  cultivated  ground.  He  will 
Ijablv  make  contracts  with  Government  for  brandy,  aij 
by  tliat  means  ruin  all  his  peasants.  He  may  likewij 
grub  up  new  land,  build  houses;  in  a  word,  destroy  I 
the  space  of  two  or  three  years  the  prosperity  and  hsn 
piness  that  had  been  the  growth  of  twenty.  j 

I  call  upon  the  whole  province  to  refute  me,  if  th^ 
are  able.     What  I  am  asserting,  is  unfortunately  tl 
true ;  I  have  seen  it.    1  have  been  a  sad  witness  to  sud 
practices  for  the  space  of  fifteen  years.    But,  notwiJ 
standing  this,  I  am  far  from  exclaiming,  like  M.deM—H 
that  the  condition      the  peasantry  can  never  be  better! 
cd,  except  by  tedious  and  painful  measures.    T  am  of  a 
different  opinion:  I  agree  with  him,  that  such  reform 
must  be  gradually  brought  about.    The  best,  and  indeed 
the  majority  of  the  Russian  nobility,  have  made  over- 
lures  in  several  diets,  tending  to  such  purpose,  which 
were  equally  wise  and  humane;  and  the  time,  I  trust, 
is  not  far  distant,  in  which  the  complaints  of  the  peasants 
will  be  heard  and  their  wrongs  redressed. 

I  shall  venture  to  propose  four  easy  methods,  which, 
without  doing  any  real  injury  to  either  party,  would  se- 
cure a  kind  of  property  to  the  bondman,  and  restrain 
the  despotism  of  his  lord ;  and  I  must  at  the  same  time 
declare,  that  more  than  what  I  have  to  offer  could  not 
with  safety  be  done  for  the  peasant  in  the  present  order 
of  things. 

First.  No  peasant  should  be  transported  from  one 
habitation  to  another. 

At  present,  as  I  have  already  observed,  the  barbarous 
cuslom  of  removing  the  boor  from  the  spot  which  he  and 
his  ancestors  had  cultivated,  unhappily  prevails.  He 
has  occupied  a  house,  and  had  a  little  garden,  perhapsji 
which  he  considered  as  his  own  property.  On  a  sudden 
lie  receives  an  order  to  demolish  his  house,  abandon  hi? 
<  iiltured  ground,  and  to  remove  with  his  family  into  a 
forest,  or  perhaps  in(o  the  middle  of  a  moor,  to  grub  up 
new  land,  which,  the  moment  it  becomes  productive, 
is  again -taken  from  hiin.    In  the  mean  while,  hi,  lord 


305 


sows  and  reaps  the  field  which  the  poor  peasant  had  been 
compelled  to  quit. 

Hence  tlie  labourer,  being  never  certain  of  enjoying 
the  fruits  of  his  toil,  is  generally  idle,  and  provides  only 
from  day  to  day.  The  most  flourishing  villages  that  have 
been  transplanted  in  tliis  manner,  have,  in  a  very  short 
space  of  time,  exhibited  the  most  deplorable  pictures  of 
misery. 

The  Estonian  nobles  will  reply  to  this,  that  a  good 
landlord  will  make  no  such  changes.  I  allow  this,  yet 
must  add,  that  he  ought  not  to  have  it  in  his  power  to 
make  them.  But  it  will  be  said,  that  a  good  master  will 
not  make  a  bad  use  of  that  right ;  yet  it  may  be  still  ob- 
served, that  he  cannot  answer  for  his  heirs  and  succes- 
I  sors,  and  that  there  is  no  reason  why  a  duty,  which  every 
i  honest  man  considers  as  a  law,  should  not  in  fact  become 
one. 

Secondly.  ,Let  the  soccage-labour,  which  hitherto  has 
depended  on  the  arbitrary  will  of  the  landlord,  be  in  fu- 
l  ture  regulated  by  fixed  rules. 

There  is,  indeed,  a  book  in  every  lordship,  in  which 
the  sum  total  of  the  soccage-work  is  inserted ;  but  this 
labour  is  doubled  during  seed-time  and  manuring,  and 
also  during  harvest,  w-hich,  in  other  words,  is  daring 
the  whole  summer;  for  a  landlord  who  prefers  his  own 
interest,  knows  how  to  regulate  the  above-mentioned 
periods,  so  that  scarcely  any  interval  appears.  The 
landlord  has  likewise  another  expedient  at  command, 
which  enables  him  to  elude  the  written  ordinances.  He 
has  the  right  of  imposing  certain  days  of  labour,  inde- 
pendent of  the  soccage-days,  on  which  the  peasant,  with 
his  whole  family,  male  and  female,  must  assist  him.  The 
peasant  too  is  obliged  to  repair  in  person  at  every  call  of 
his  lord,  to  build  for  him,  carry  his  produce  to  market, 
distil  brandy,  and,  in  short,  to  perform  oihces  not  at  all 
comprised  under  the  name  of  agriculture.  The  num- 
ber of  these. extra-days  is  quite  unlimited,  and  the  pea- 
sant's own  labour  in  the  mean  while  is  interrupted,  his 
field  remains  untilled,  his  affairs  are  neglected,  and  it 
often  happens,  that  the  snow  covers  his  little  erop  be- 
2  c  2 


506 


tore  he  Is  able  to  get  if  into  his  barn.  La  line,  the  bo 
contains  no  certain  rules  for  soccag;e-work  ot"  any  kin 
ai  every  new  possessor  is  not  obliged  to  abide  by  th 
stipulations  sanctioned  by  his  predecessor:  he  makes  ne 
regulations,  which  he  forms  agreeably  to  his  own  will 
Thirdly.  There  sl.ould  be  no  public-houses  in  the  v 
lages. 

All  the  Estonian  nobles  complain  ot  the  drunkenne 
of  the  peasantry,  and  of  their  total  want  of  morals.  The 
uiiiversally  agree,  that  the  principal  cause  of  this  ev 
must  be  ascribed  to  the  public-houses,  and  Umt  the  v 
lages  in  which  there  are  none,  are  remarkable  for  th 
good  order  and  easy  circumstances  of  the  inhabitan 
Yet  in  spite  of  this  conviction,  the  litde  profits  they  gai 
by  the  establishment  of  such  houses,  prevent  them  fro 
abolishing  so  manifest  an  abuse.    They  have  public 
houses  by  the  hundred  along  the  high  roads,  yet  the 
cannot  come  to  a  resolution  to  give  up  tho.;e  in  the  by 
villages,  though  ihey  would  eventually  be  gainers. 

The  inconvenience  of  public-houses  in  the  villages  h 
been  so  generally  acknowledged,  that  at  a  late  Diet 
motion  was  made  to  abolish  them  ;  but  the  result  of  t 
di.-cussion  was,  that  it  was  found  the  article  of  brand 
must  be  raised  a  few  copecks  a  gallon,  in  order  to  i 
"demnify  the  distiller?  ibr  its  diminished  consumption — 
u  remedy  which  was  thought  worse  than  the  evil  itself! 

Fourthly.  The  landlords  should  not  be  allowed  to 
make  more  brandy  than  they  can  distil  from  rye  of  their 
(nvn  growth. 

The  speculations  which  are  made  in  spirituous  liquors, 
independently  of  the  bad  consequences  which  fall  on  the 
peasant,  often  ruin  his  lord.  He  commonly  makes  a 
contract  with  Government  for  six  years,  in  which  he 
undertakes  .o  I'urnish  brandy  at  a  stipulated  price,  which, 
at  the  time  the  business  begins,  seems  to  promise  much 
grain.  Sliould  a  year  of  scarcity  intervene,  the  markets 
rise,  and  he  is  obliged  to  buy  grain  at  any  rate  ;  for  the 
moment  he  fails  in  his  engagements,  the  Crown  lays  his 
cstates^inder  sequestration,  and  purchases  brandy  at  his 
co^t,  tJ^supply  the  necessary  consumption.    Thus  is  the 


307 


landholder  liable  to  sink  in  one  single  year  the  gains  of 
the  other  five ;  nor  does  it  always  happen  that  his  profits 
are  sufficient  to  make  his  losses  good.  I  know  not  a 
single  noble  who  has  grown  rich,  but  many  who  have 
been  ruined,  by  such  speculations. 

The  nobles  of  Estonia  will  observe  in  reply,  that  they 
should  have  no  manure  for  their  grounds  unless  they  fat- 
tened oxen,  and  that  they  could  not  fatten  oxen  without 
the  assistance  of  their  distilleries.  Let  them  be  allowed 
then  to  distil,  provided  their  own  crops  supply  the  corn; 
but  let  them  give  more  attention  to  the  breed  of  sheep, 
and  less  to  that  of  horned  cattle,  and  they  will  never  be 
in  want  of  manure.  They  may  still  reply,  that  the  cat- 
tle sent  lean  from  Petersburg  to  be  fattened,  produce 
them  ready  money  (twenty  roubles  and  upwards  a-head) 
whereas  in  the  other  case,  they  would  be  incumbered 
with  the  milk  of  their  flocks.  It  appears  to  me,  that  if 
they  were  to  make  butter  and  cheese,  after  the  example 
of  tlie  Dutch,  the  Swedes,  the  Holsteiners,  &c.  they 
might  find  a  quick  sale  at  Petersburg,  where  the  inhabit- 
ants are  chiefly  supplied  from  Holstein. 

A  second  objection  which  these  nobles  may  make 
that  the  landholders  at  a  great  distance  from  Petersburg, 
being  inconveniently  situated  for  brandy-contracts,  would 
not  know  what  to  do  with  their  grain  if  they  did  not  sell  ^ 
it  to  such  as  lived  nearer  the  metropolis,  who  had  con- 
tracts, and  whose  estates  did  not  produce  grain  <;ufficient 
to  fulfil  them.  Were  they  not  to  dispose  of  their  corn 
in  this  manner,  the  markets,  they  will  tell  us,  would  be 
overstocked,  and  agriculture  in  general  much  injured. 
This  objection,  however,  is  more  specious  than  solid  ; 
for  where  grain  is  scarce,  it  bears  a  high  price,  and 
where  it  is  had  in  plenty,  exportation  is  always  allowed, 
and  Sweden,  England,  Germany,  and  other  countries_, 
are  eager  enough  to  purchase  it. 

These  hints  contain  all  that  is  necessary  to  be  said  on 
the  subject,  and  I  am  fully  convinced,  that  if  the  nobles 
ot  Estonia  would  agree  among  themselves  to  adopt  the 
measures  I  have  recommended,  they  would  soon  feel 
the  salutary  effects  of  them.    Two  hundred  thousand 


308  J 

slaves  would  obtain  a  species  of  propert) ,  and  transfer  ■ 
to  their  children  after  them.    They  would  grow  acti\'B 
and  laborious;  moral  sentiments  would  begin  to  influencj 
their  minds  as  soon  as  they  should  feel  themselves  nl 
longer  the  victims  to  a  more  arbitrary  despotism  thai 
that  which  the  Emperor  himself  chooses  to  exert.  Thel 
would  no  longer  perish  ibr  want,  were  their  soccage- 
labour  properly  regulated,  as  they  would  then  have  siil 
liciAt  leisure  tor  the  tillage  of  their  own  fields.  They 
wouTd  learn  to  love  their  lords,  and  their  lords  would 
have  confidence  in  them;  and  at  length  be  no  longer 
considered  by  all  Europe,  as  a  class  of  petty  tyrants  and 
oppressors.    Atter  ten  or  twenty  years  adoption  of  such 
measures,  they  may  venture  to  proceed  furtlier  in  favour 
of  their  boors,  and  at  last  raise  them  to  a  degree  of  moral 
improvement  which  would  not  only  repay  their  care  in 
an  interested  point  of  view,  but  gratify  the  noblest  feel' 
ing  the  mind  is  capable  of  enjoying;  a  consciousness  of 
having  fulfilled  the  sacred  duties  of  humanity,  and  of  de- 
serving the  multiplied  benedictions  that  will  fall  upon 
their  head ! 

The  Estonian  nobility  are  far  from  being  insensible  to 
such  elevated  kind  of  recompense;  they  have  hitherto 
jnerely  wanted  resolution  to  adopt  what  they  felt  it  their 
duty  to  do;  but  the  reign  of  Alexander  will  act  as  a 
powerful  stimulus  to  such  benevolent  propensities,  and 
much  happiness  may  be  vet  in  store  for  their  peasantry! 

I  cannot  better  close  my  work  than  with  the  extract 
of  a  letter  which  the  present  Emperor  lately  wrote  to  a 
nobleman  who  had  solicited  the  hereditary  possession  of 
an  estate : 

"  The  Russian  peasants  are  in  general  no  better  than 
slaves,  and  I  need  not  enlarge  upon  the  degradation  and 
wretchedness  of  such  a  condition.  I  have  made  a  vow 
not  to  augment  the  number  of  them,  and  have  therefore 
adopted  the  resolution  of  never  transferring  them  avva^ 
as  property  to  any  man.  The  estate  shall  be  granted  t( 
you  and  your  heirs  at  a  long  lease  and  quit-rent,  whicl 
will  prove  equally  advantageous  to  you ;  and  the  onlj 
difference  will  be,  that  the  peasants  cannot  be  sold  oj 


309. 


alienated  like  brute  beasts.  Such  are  my  reasons,  and 
I  am  persuaded  they  will  meet  with  your  approba- 
tion." 

Glory  and  honour  to  this  humane  and  compassionate 
Monarch !  He  will  want  neither  brass  nor  marble  to 
perpetuate  his  memory  !  The  sentiments  which  the 
above  short  extract  contains,  will  secure  immortality  to 
his  name  in  the  bosom  of  every  worthy  man  !  j 

t 


FINIS. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  I. 

Introduction — Letter  of  the  Russian  Envoi/  to  the 
Author — -Journey  from  JFei?nar  to  Berlin — Advice  of  the 
Russian  Envoy — Last  advice  of  an  old  man  at  Zanozv,  a 
town  in  Pojnerania — Arrival  on  the  frontiers  of  Russia — 
Arrest — Departure  for  Mittau,  under  the  escort  of  an  of- 
ficer and  a  cossack — Account  of  the  papers  seized — Arri' 
ral  at  Mittau — Incidents  in  the  Governor  of  -Courland's  ■ 
fiouse — Portrait  of  Aulic  Counsellor  Schtschekatichin-—^ 
Order  to  depart  for  Petersburg,  and  preparations — Por- 
trait of  Alexander  Schulkins,  courier  of  the  senate — Cruel 
separation  of  the  Author  from  his  tvife  and  children — Dis- 
covery that  Siberia  is  the  object  of  his  journey — Resolu- 
tion to  make  his  escape,  and  preparations  for  the  same — 
His  escape  in  the  night — Retreat  in  the  forests  of  Livonia 
— Hopes  of  finding  an  asylum  at  Stockmannshof — Inci' 
dents  in  that  castle — M.  Prostenius,  his  conduct  and  cha- 
racter— Second  arrest — Generosity  of  Madame  de  L'un-en- 
stern  and  family — Departure  for  Stockmannshof — Mea- 
sures of  precaution  taken  zvith  regard  to  the  Author — Re- 
markable hospitality  of  M.  de  Korf — Consolations  of  the 
Counsellor  and  Courier — Hopes — Pecuniary  extortions — 
Hospitality  of  the  Russian  peasantry — Measures  of  pru- 
dence taken  against  the  despair  of  exiles — Polosk — Report 
of  the  Counsellor  Smolensk — Barbarous  procedure — Mos- 
cozv — Shameful  fraud — Intrepidity,  the  only  virtue  of  the 
Counsellor — Danger  of  perishing  in  the  Sura  near  Wa- 
silskoe — Companion  in  misfortune — A  man  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty  years  of  age — General  Mertens — CcLsan — Hos- 
pitality the  Author  finds  there — Collection  of  materials  to 
compose  a  memorial  to  the  Emperor — Young  Tartar  tvo- 
man — lM.st  hopes  cruelly  frustrated — -Journey  through  the 
fyrests  of  Perm — Perm — A  storm — Siberian  peasants— 
Ekalerinabourg — Discovery  of  secret  n-ritings — Frmfiers 
of  Tobolsk — The  poor  old  lunatic — Arrival  at  Tobolsk — 
First  interviezv  zvith  the  Governor — Lodgings  at  Tobolsk — 
The  Author  delivered  o-j^r  to  a  police  ojicer — M,  de  Id- 
viakof- — Baron  Sommaruga — Admirable  conduct  of  his 
lady — Count  SoUikoff— -Becker  the  merchant — Phenomenon 


If 


«  CONTENTS. 

— Counsellor  Pater  son — Substance  of  a  memorial  to  the 
Emperor — Generosity  of  mind  of  the  Governor — Permis* 
9ion  to  take  a  servant — The  Italian  Russ  or  Rossi. 
CHAP.  II. 

Liberty  suddenly  circumscribed  Compassion  of  the 

tradesmen  of  Tobolsk — Description  of  difierent  classes  of 
exiles  and  their  treatment — Fate  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  cle 
Riisan — The  Auihor^^  ijciy  of  living  at  Tobolsk — Unplea- 
sant situation  of  the  Governor — Description  of  Tobolsk — 
\The  fsh-market — The  play-house — Tlie  casino — Produce 
of  the  SQ.il — Order  to  quit  Tobolsk — The  Author  sells  his 
carriage — A  shajneful  advantage  taken — Preparations  for 
a  journey — The  High  Priestess  of  the  Sun — -Journey  to 
Kurgan — Description  of  that  toivn — The  reception  zvhich 
the  first  magistrate  gave  the  Author— Story  and  portrait 
of  M.  de  Gravi — Iivan  Sokolojf  the  Pole — First  lodgings 
— Portraits  of  some  of  the  principal  inhabitants  of  the 
town — The  story  of  the  Pole — Neiv  lodgings,  zvitli  a  des' 
cription  of  them — Price  of  provisions — Frugcd  table — The 
way  of  living  and  superstition  of  the  Author — The  neigh- 
bouring Kirgists — The  clime — Wcdks  on  the  banks  of  the 
Tobol — Women  and  girls  of  Kurgan — Seneca — Project  of 
an  escape — Description  of  a  festival — The  Author  is  set 
at  liberty — Kind  interest  taken  by  the  inhabitants  of  Kur- 

in  his  ivelfare — Religious  festival — Sokolof  takes  leave 

0f  hi?n — Departure  from  Kurgan  Prince  Simbirski — 

An  idiot  that  iient  on  all  fours — Scene  in  a  Tartar  vidage 
— Arrival  at  Tobolsk — Generosity  of  the  Emperor  Paul  J, 
— Carpoiu  the  courier — Roguery  of  Rossi— Departure  from 
Tobolsk — The  frontiers  of  Siberia — The  Author* s  impa- 
tience — The  indolence  of  his  courier — Wassili  Sukin — T/ie 
banished  merchant — Danger  at  Kungar — Exiles  and  Emi- 
grants— Casan — Residence  in  that  city — Highiiay  robbers 
— Precautions  to  secure  the  mail — Nisclmei  Nuvogorod — • 
\HospitaUty — Sche?ne  to  rob  the  Author— Aloscozv — Fi^ancis 
Courtener  the  bookseller — Karamsin,  a  man  of  letters — 
Wischnei — Wolotschok — Arrival  at  Petersburg — Reception — First 
lijht — The  Author  hears  of  his  family— The  hiiiory  o/'what  had 
'Mippcned  to  Madame  de  Kotzebue — Conduct  of  the  Governor  if 
Courland — The  ivorthy  imiholder  Rader — General  d'Essoi — V/ach- 
i'er,  coimsellor  of  the  regency — Weitbrechi  the  secretary — Riga — 
iSorerwor  de  Ricbter — Count  Sie^-ers — Distressii^g  questions  of  the 


CONTENTS.  ^ 

children — Madame  de  Kotzehie's  departure  for  Friedenthal — M 
Koch  and  his  family — Reception  of  a  letter,  and  its  evil  conse 
qiiences — M.  de  Knorring  and  his  lady — Catherine  Tengman — Go 
7ievcs — Count  de  Pahlens  letter — Attentiotis  of  the  Emperor — T 
inhabitants  of  Reval — journey  to  Petersburg — Noble  and  delica 
attentions  on  the  part  of  Grautuann  the  merchant — Affecting  see 
-^Count  de  Rahlen — 7 he  Emperor  gives  the  Author  an  estate  in  L 
Tonia — Letter  from  the  privy -counsel lor  Briskorn — The  Author 
appointed  manager  of  the  German  court  theatre-^His  papers  ( 
restored — ifoble  action  of  an  unknown  person — Gustavus  Vaia — 
Causes  of  the  Author's  enlargement — Severe  censure  of  dramatic- 
pieces — The  French  theatre — Madame  Chevalier — Mela7icholy\ 
picture — Singular  idea  of  the  Emperor — First  intervicvc  of  the  Au- 
thor vMk  him,  and  the  Emperor's  great  affability — AUsa^ithrof 
and  Repentance  acted  at  the  Hermitage — Haydn's  Creation  trans- 
lated into  French — Circle  of  friends — The  management  of  tbeihea 
tre  rendered  less  burdensome  to  the  Author. 

CHAP.  III. 

The  Emperor  employs  the  Author  to  ncrite  a  description  of  tht 
palace  of  Michailoff — Last  intervievo  with  the  Emperor — Alex 
ander  ascends  the  throne — His  clemency — His  first  edicts — Affccf' 
ing  history  of  a  Colonel  of  the  Cossacks — Round  hats — Exiles  re- 
called f  om  Siberia — Enlargement  of  Sokoloff — History  of  the  un- 
fortunate parish  minister  S*** — Monsiexir  and  Madame  Chevaliet 
" — Madame  Valville — The  Author  solicits  his  resignation — De- 
parture from  Pett rsburg — yurc — Wolmdnshcf — Riga  Polange) 

— Konigsbcrg — Revievccf  M  M''**'s  Secret  Memoirs  of  the  Cour 

'-if  Russia — Of  the  Author  and  his  book  Pretended  rancour  i 

Paul  I. — yekatherine — The  Emperor  calumniated  as  a  father  an 
husband — The  great  people  of  the  empire — The  lavjs  of  Russia 
A  paradox — The  Empress  Catherine  did  not  protect  the  sciences 
Germans  at  Petersburg — Colonels  of  Russian  regiments — Vanity  oj 
the  author  of  the  memoirs — False  charges  against  Paul — Military 
orphan-house — Prince  Potemkin — Lanskoy — Rxutsian  princes — Ge- 
neral Pisf  'or — Nevj  gallantry  of  Potemkin — The  Emperor  Paul  I 

received  and  ansvoered  all  letters  The  impossibility  ff  reading 

them  all  himsef—The  Russians  in  office  calumniated — The  priso 
of  prince  Ivcan  at  Schlusselbourg — Vanity  and  quackery  of  M.  d 
M**'^ — Portraits  of  the  reigning  Emperor  and  Empress — Coun 
Nicolas  Soltikoff — The  regiments  of  guards — Baron  Nicolai — Re 
fnement  of  vengeance  imputed  to  Paul — Cou  parisons  of  firnilies^ 
Seditious  practices  of  AI.  de  M*** — Calumnious  anecdotes  relatii 
*o  Livoni'i — Of  the  proneress  of  the  Russians  to  theft — 7'heir  hoi 
pitality  and  courage  aspersed  by  M.  de  M*** — Russian  v>omen-^ 
Tutors — FuLe  assertions  that  there  are  7w  schools  in  Livr>.ua,  Est 
via,  and  Courland — Ca-.ses  of  the  author  of  the  memoirs'  ban:s> 
inent — Slavery  of  the  Russian  peasants — Philanthropic  viev^'s  a) 
tropomls  for  bettering  their  condition — Flinnane  disposition  a\ 
declarations  of  the  reigning  Emperor. 


